The Greek-owned ship signalled a distress call saying it had suffered damage to its cargo hold and was taking on water about 54 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, British security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday.
No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion immediately fell on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have carried out a string of attacks on ships in connection with Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The location of the attack coincided with the location of the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Laax. The vessel said it was en route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Grehel Ship Management of Piraeus operates the Laax vessel.
The British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that the attack took place off the port city of Hodeidah in the southern Red Sea, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects it to the Gulf of Aden.
Ambrey said on radio that the vessel “sustained damage to the cargo hold and is taking on water.” The company said the vessel reportedly sustained damage as a result of rocket fire.
Red Sea attacks
The Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent months, demanding Israel end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians. The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Since November, the Houthis have carried out more than 50 attacks on ships, hijacking one vessel and sinking another, according to the US Maritime Administration. Shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has dropped due to this threat. The pace of Houthi attacks has slowed in recent weeks, although rebels claim to have shot down US drones.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015 on the side of Yemen’s government-in-exile, but the conflict has remained at a stalemate for years as Riyadh tries to reach a peace deal with the Houthis.
