The owner of the Swan Atlantic said the ship was struck by an unidentified object, but no crew members were injured. A Panamanian-flagged ship was also targeted.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they have launched a drone attack targeting two cargo ships in the Red Sea, the latest in a series of attacks that have disrupted maritime trade as cargo companies seek to avoid the area.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea on Monday identified the ships as the MSC Clara and the Norwegian ship Swan Atlantic and said the attacks were carried out after their crews failed to respond to the group’s calls.
The owner of the Swan Atlantic said the ship was struck by an unidentified object but no crew members were injured.
The MSC Clara is a Panama-flagged ship, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group. Details of the attack on the ship were not immediately clear.
The Iran-backed Houthis have attacked numerous ships in recent weeks, saying they were targeting ships in the Red Sea with ties to Israel to protest its military offensive in Gaza. The group warned against sailing towards the area.
The attacks have raised concerns about the impact on the passage of oil, grain and other goods on what is a major global trade route, and they have driven up the costs of insurance and shipping goods via the Red Sea.
Damaged water tank
All of the Swan Atlantic’s systems were operating normally although its water tank was damaged in the attack, said Oystein Elgan, chief executive of owner Inventor Chemical Tankers.
Inventor Chemical Tankers has no ties to Israel, Elgan said.
The ship’s operator, Uni-Tankers, said the attack caused a small fire, which the crew put out, and the ship, carrying vegetable oils, continued on its way to Reunion Island. .
A British maritime authority said it had received a report of a ship “suffering an explosion” on its port side during an attack 24 nautical miles (44 km) northwest of the port of al-Makha ( Mocha) in Yemen.
The ship and crew were declared safe, it said in a notice. The incident described by a UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) notice was similar to the attack on the Swan Atlantic.
The UKMTO said in a separate advisory that it had received a report of a vessel 24 nautical miles southeast of al-Makha that had been approached by a craft with several armed people on board.
Warning shots were fired from the ship and the craft and armed personnel on board changed course, the notice said.
The UKMTO said in other advisories it had received reports of an incident 63 nautical miles (117 km) northwest of Djibouti and another near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 30 nautical miles (56 km) south of al-Makha.
Economic impact
The Houthis, who rule much of Yemen, have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel ends its attack on Gaza. However, in a first indication of possible moderation, the group said on Saturday that real measures to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza would help “reduce escalation”.
The threat risks disrupting the global economy. Several shipping companies announced they would suspend all voyages across the Red Sea due to the attacks.
About 40 percent of international trade passes through the narrow strait between Yemen and northeast Africa, which leads north to the Red Sea, southern Israeli port facilities and the Suez Canal .
The increased threat has driven up marine insurance costs by tens of thousands of dollars a day and driven up oil prices.
Oil major BP has temporarily suspended all transit via the Red Sea, citing security concerns. The other solution for ships avoiding the Suez Canal is to take a much longer journey around Africa.
The United States announced last week that it was in talks with other countries to set up a task force to protect the trade route. An Italian source reported Monday that the country was considering joining a naval coalition to patrol the Red Sea.