Shots Fired at Chinese Containership in the Red Sea

There were reports of a new incident in the southern Red Sea early on Wednesday, October 7, although the details are unclear and there were no claims of responsibility. It comes as fighting is intensifying along the coast of Yemen as Saudi and government forces are clashing with the Houthis while attempting to reclaim areas lost in the recent fighting.

MSCIO, the EU-sponsored Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, received reports of a small boat harassing a passing containership. The vessel said that shots had been fired by a small craft while it was transiting the southern Red Sea in the area north of the Bab el-Mandeb. The small craft was reported to have subsequently moved away from the area, and the containership was continuing its northbound passage through the Red Sea. The crew was uninjured.

The ship is being identified by security consultants as the Singapore-flagged CUL Klang (35,300 dwt). Delivered in 2024, the ship is operated by the Chinese CUL Lines, which maintains routes to the Mediterranean, Middle East, and intra-Asia. The vessel has a container capacity of 2,433 TEU and is displaying a message on its AIS that reads “China owned&CHN crew.”

In the past, reports have indicated that some of the small boats might be fishing boats in the region and simply acting to protect their boats and fishing nets. The Houthis have said they would be only targeting ships linked to Saudi Arabia, further raising doubts that they would target a Chinese container vessel. Their forces are also engaged in a series of clashes with Saudi-backed forces and those aligned to the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

Yemen’s Homeland Shield Forces, a pro-government military faction, had announced that it was part of a “large-scale offensive” in the area around al-Waziya in the mountainous Taiz region. Other reports of fighting were along the coast south of Mocha. There were reports of strong fighting around Dhubab, located to the south of Mocha and near the Bab al-Mandeb.

The Sudi forces reported on Tuesday they had retaken Mocha and key parts of the coastline. They claimed to once again be in control of the Bab el-Mandeb, but today there are conflicting reports, with both sides claiming to have retaken strategic parts of the coastline.

The Houthis claimed to have also launched a series of missile attacks into Saudi Arabia. There were confirmed reports of strikes at or near the airports in Abha and Riyadh. Associated Press reports that three people were killed at the two airports and a total of at least 30 people were injured.

Saudi forces claimed to have downed additional missiles launched toward Saudi Arabia. They also said they had struck a launching platform in Sana, Yemen.

If it was an organized attack by the rebels on shipping, it would be the first confirmed incident in days. UK Maritime Trade Operations received a report from a tanker on October 4 of multiple explosions near the vessel while it was sailing south of the Bab el-Mandeb in the Gulf of Aden. There were several other reports in the Gulf of Aden earlier in September, but the last report of an incident in the Red Sea dates to late August, when a tanker was struck off the Saudi port of Yanbu.

EUNAVFOR Aspides had posted on social media yesterday that it “supports the confidence of the shipping industry in continuing to use challenged maritime routes.” It continues to escort vessels, and there were recent reports that the European Union is working to provide additional warships and assets to Aspides to further strengthen its capabilities and to escort more vessels in the region.