Attack on Tanker Reported in the Gulf of Aden

The Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations unit (UKMTO) has reported an apparent attempted attack on a tanker in the Gulf of Aden, the first in this area since the start of the Houthi blockade of Saudi ports began last month.

At about 1430 hours UTC, the master of a tanker reported hearing an explosion close to the vessel while transiting about 95 nautical miles to the southeast of Aden, well south of the normal shipping lane to and from Bab el-Mandeb. No injuries were reported, and there was no environmental impact. An investigation into the circumstances of the blast is under way.

Open source analyst AtlasObserver has tentatively identified the possible subject of the attack as the Dominica-flagged product tanker Daisy (IMO 9516545). The vessel was the only ship on AIS near the reported position at the reported time, other marine traffic being located to the north in the main shipping lane. Immediately after the time of the attack, the Daisy altered course and went AIS-dark.

Maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech confirms that the vessel was a Dominica-flagged tanker, and said that the blast hit just 40 meters off the ship's port side, generating a shockwave that was felt on board.

Daisy fits the approximate profile of a vessel that Houthi forces would wish to target: a tanker, Saudi in ownership, inbound towards the direction of Bab el-Mandeb. All other recent attacks have been located in the southern Red Sea, closer to Houthi-controlled shores, but the group has a long history of striking traffic in the Gulf of Aden. If confirmed, the attempt would suggest that the group is willing to take the escalatory step of expanding its targeting into an additional region.

The attempt follows shortly after Houthi forces threatened to intensify their strike campaign in order to counter Saudi efforts to avoid the southern Red Sea. Some tankers departing Yanbu have begun heading northwards, through the Suez Canal, in order to evade the Houthi blockade - much to the Houthis' annoyance. The Yemeni militant group said Wednesday it would be “tightening the naval blockade” in response to Saudi efforts to reroute tankers to the north.