As the tanker crosses the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it is "attacked by a cruise missile."
A missile has struck a tanker ship off the coast of Yemen that was traversing the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which divides East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. The Norwegian-owned and operated ship, Strinda, was struck on Monday at around midnight local time (21:00 GMT), according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). The ship "was attacked while passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb by what is believed to have been an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," according to a statement from CENTCOM.
On its website, the shipping company Mowinckels Rederi, located in Bergen, states that the oil and chemical tanker Strinda is part of its fleet and was en route to Italy. The ship was "hit by a missile," according to chief executive Geir Belsnes, who also acknowledged that it had taken fire. Belsnes emailed Al Jazeera, saying, "Fortunately, no member of the crew was injured; they managed to put out the fire." "The safety and well-being of the seafarers onboard has been and continues to be our focus." The ship was now "proceeding to a safe port," he said.
The assault on the ship occurred as threats against local commercial vessels in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict intensified. The Houthis of Yemen, who get support from Iran, have attacked ships in the Red Sea many times and fired missiles and drones at Israel. They have vowed to destroy any vessel they think is headed toward or coming from Israel in recent days. Although Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the rebel military, told the Associated Press that a significant statement would be made shortly, the Houthis did not immediately take credit for the offensive. An earlier report of a fire on an unnamed vessel around 15 nautical miles (28 km) outside the Yemeni port of Mokha was made by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a navy body that provides security warnings to ships. According to the website of Mowinckels Rederi, a company situated in Bergen, the coordinates match Strinda's final known position. An email requesting comment was not immediately answered by the corporation. The USS Mason answered Strinda's mayday call and offered support, according to CENTCOM.
Though they haven't explicitly said that their ships had been targeted, the US and France have stated that Houthi drones were approaching their ships when they were shot down in self-defense. Both Israel and Washington have so far refrained from immediately responding to the strikes; Israel's military maintains that the ships have no connection to their nation. In the Red Sea off Yemen in November, the Houthis took control of a vehicle transport ship that was connected to Israel. The ship is still under rebel control close to Hodeidah port. Separately, a suspected Iranian drone attacked a container ship in the Indian Ocean that belonged to an Israeli millionaire.
After years of conflict that resulted in one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes in history, the Houthis and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that was fighting on behalf of Yemen's exiled government have been maintaining a shaky truce.
