A drone packed with explosives crashes into an oil tanker in the Red Sea

An explosives-laden drone crashed into an oil tanker as it passed the coast of Yemen, a sign that Israeli airstrikes have not deterred the country’s Houthi militants from attacking merchant ships.

The 900-foot vessel was struck by an unmanned surface vessel 64 nautical miles northwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, Britain’s naval liaison in the region said on Twitter. The incident punctured a tank that holds water to keep the freighter stable when unladen.

UKMTO ALERT – INCIDENT 124 – ATTACK UPDATE 003https://t.co/ZgjRM6rsdX#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/KU5ifcuoKJ
— Maritime Great Britain Commercial Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) October 1, 2024

While British authorities have not identified the vessel, a security expert familiar with the matter said it was the tanker Cordelia Moon. That would be consistent with the ship’s fingerprints. The ship was sailing back to the Mediterranean after recently delivering Russian oil to India.

The international maritime database Equasis shows that Cordelia Moon’s manager is an Indian company called Margao Marine Solutions. An email to the company, the only means listed to contact it, went unanswered. His insurer is unknown, according to a database maintained by S&P Global.

The master reported that the crew was safe and that the ship was proceeding to its next port of call, UK Merchant Marine Operations, which communicates with merchant shipping in the area.

The second attack

UKMTO also reported a second attack, this time 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, on another vessel.

“The ship suffered damage. All crew are reported safe. The authorities are investigating,” the statement said.

Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels will mark their first on commercial ships in weeks. Israeli warplanes have bombed a seaport and several power plants in Yemen, its military said on Sunday.

The Houthis, one of a network of Islamist militant organizations backed by Iran, began targeting shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023 in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The rebels persisted in their attacks even after the US and allies launched airstrikes to deter them. Groups of shipping companies have chosen to send ships on longer routes to avoid the area. Insurance costs have risen considerably.

The Houthis have said they are targeting Israeli and Western ships in solidarity with the Palestinians as the war in Gaza approaches a year old and fears it will spill over into a regional conflict.

The attacks come as Israeli ground forces enter Lebanon and have sent troops into southern Lebanon, alongside airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, raising the risks of a wider regional conflict. The escalation follows days of Israeli airstrikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior officials.

On Monday, the Houthis threatened to “escalate military operations” targeting Israel.

Photo: A protester holds up a mock drone with Yemeni and Palestinian flags under a sign depicting a ship targeted by Houthi forces in the Red Sea during a demonstration in Hudaydah on July 26, 2024. Photo credit: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

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