Two ships with ties to the UK and US were targeted by Houthi ballistic missiles, according to US military officials.
One of the vessels, named “MORNING TIDE,” is a UK-managed 12,000 DWT vessel. Records show that the ship is owned by a firm in the United Kingdom. The vessel had transited the Suez Canal on February 2nd and was attacked nearly 57 miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen.
On Tuesday, the US Central Command stated that Houthi Militants had fired three ballistic missiles on the “MORNING TIDE” and that the missiles had hit the water near the ship without effect. Reports indicate that no crew member has been injured and that the ship is continuing on its course.
The second vessel targeted by the Houthis is the “STAR NASIA.” The ship is Greek-owned and flagged in the Marshall Islands. The ship is managed by a US-listed company called Star Bulk Carriers. The vessel had departed from Virginia on December 30th carrying a shipment of coal and had crossed the Suez Canal near the end of January.
Soon after crossing the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb and entering the Gulf of Aden, the vessel reported an explosion around 50 meters from the ship. Early reports were unclear on whether the explosion had been caused by a drone or a sea mine.
The US Central Command, however, stated that the STAR NASIA was attacked by three Houthi ballistic missiles over the span of 12 hours. According to the Central Command, the first missile missed the ship, although the ship was still caught in the blast radius, and it caused minor damage. The second missile had no effect, and the third missile was shot down by the destroyer USS Laboon. They further stated that the ship’s crew is unharmed and that the ship is headed to its commercial destination.
Houthi Spokesperson Yahya Saree later issued a statement on February 6th, taking credit for targeting the STAR NASIA and the MORNING TIDE. He went on to state that the strikes were direct and accurate and that they will continue to target all “Hostile American and British targets” along with Israeli shipping until the war in the Gaza Strip stops.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.