Updated: Houthi Missile Damages Shadow Tanker Carrying Russian Oil

 

A tanker traveling in the Red Sea was damaged when the Houthis launched two attacks today. It is the third consecutive day in which they have launched new attacks after a nearly two-week pause. The Houthi missile hit a tanker operating in the so-called shadow fleet and late today U.S. Central Command confirmed two tankers had been targeted.

The monitoring operation UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed receiving a report of an incident approximately 14 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukha, Yemen. It placed the vessel near the northern reaches of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The master of the tanker named Andromeda Star reported two attacks at an interval. CENTCOM is saying the Andromeda Star (registered in Panama) was one of the targeted vessels. The other which was not hit was the Maisha (81,270 dwt) Antigua and Barbuda flagged and heading to the Suez Canal after departing India. It is unclear if either vessel had escorts from any of the naval forces in the region.

The first missile is believed to have exploded very close to the Maisha. The master said the repercussions were felt by the crew on the ship.

The second attack, which may have consisted of two missiles, targeted the Andromeda Star and is reported to have caused minor damage. The vessel was transmitting its AIS signal and was posting messages of no contact with Israel and that it was sailing Russia to India. According to the U.S. report, none of the crew were injured and the vessel continued on its voyage to India.

Ownership and management details on both vessels are somewhat murky. British security consultants Ambrey said that the Andromeda Star had been previously owned by UK interests, but they believe it was sold a few months ago. They reported that the owners are now registered in the Seychelles after a sale in November 2023. The well-known Equasis database after a March incident with the tanker updated information for the vessel also reporting the sale and listing it as managed from Goa, India. CENTCOM repeated a Houthi contention that the vessel's ultimate owner remains in the UK. Ownership of the Maisha is also unclear.

 

(UKMTO)

 

Late today a Houthi spokesperson claimed responsibility for an attack only on the Andromeda Star (115,600 dwt). The vessel is a 15-year-old tanker that in March was involved in a collision off Denmark. Bloomberg reported earlier today that the tanker had presented false insurance documents to the Danish authorities and that it was unclear if it was traveling with valid insurance. The Houthi however are calling the vessel a "British oil ship," which is consistent with their previous use of outdated data for some of their targeting.

The Houthi are also claiming to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) unmanned aerial vehicle yesterday over Yemen. CENTCOM did not acknowledge the loss of one of its spy drones, although media reports are saying the drone crashed and it was the third U.S. has lost since the start of the hostilities in November 2023.

Today’s attack follows the targeting of MSC and Maersk containerships over the past two days as the Houthis resumed their targeting of merchant ships. The EU operation and the UK’s Royal Navy reported each had downed assaults from the Houthi. Yesterday, U.S. forces also destroyed one unmanned surface vessel and one unmanned aerial vehicle according to a report from U.S. Central Command.