Different than announced
Houthi militia attacks Chinese oil freighter
March 24, 2024, 10:09 a.m
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Many shipping companies are now avoiding the Gulf of Aden because the Yemeni Houthis repeatedly fire on ships there in solidarity with Hamas. However, the fact that it now hits a Chinese freighter could be due to a misconception by the militia.
The Yemeni Houthi militia attacked a Chinese oil ship. The Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned ship “Huang Pu” was attacked by a total of five ballistic missiles near the Yemeni port city of Mocha on Saturday, the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said. One of the projectiles hit the ship. Accordingly, no one on board was injured in the attack.
The ship, which was sailing from the Red Sea towards the Indian port of New Mangalore, was able to continue its journey after the shelling, Centcom said. According to Centcom and the British maritime authority UKMTO, a fire broke out as a result of the attack, but was extinguished shortly afterwards.
Data recently changed
The US military’s Central Command said the Houthis attacked the Huang Pu “despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese ships.” Maritime operator Ambrey pointed out that the oil tanker’s registration details had only been changed in February – and it had previously been managed by the British company Union Maritime Ltd since 2019.
The Houthi militia has been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in order to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis see themselves as part of the “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel and supported by Iran, which includes Hamas and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Because of the attacks, many shipping companies are now avoiding the important maritime trade route through which twelve percent of global maritime trade is normally carried out. In response to the shelling of shipping, the USA and Great Britain are carrying out air strikes on Houthi positions in an attempt to prevent further attacks on merchant ships.