The Houthis claimed on Thursday to have carried out yet another long-distance operation against a commercial vessel far from Yemeni shores.
Military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement televised and posted on X that the group’s “missile force” attacked the 8,089-teu MSC Vittoria (built 2006) twice — first in the Indian Ocean and then in the Arabian Sea.
The vessel’s listed owner and manager, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite Saree’s claims that the hit was “direct”, the ship seems to have reached its destination of Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates more or less according to plan.
No other maritime intelligence source has yet reported on an incident in the area that would match an attack on the MSC Vittoria.
TradeWinds reported on 7 May on a separate attack in the Gulf of Aden that was confirmed by Saree on Thursday, against the 4,056-teu MSC Diego (built 1999).
The “targeting operation” was carried out “with a number of ballistic missiles and drones”, Saree said.
The master had reported two explosions close to the MSC Diego as it was sailing 82 nautical miles (152 km) south of Aden and without suffering any damage.
No independent confirmation exists of a third attack against an MSC ship claimed by Saree on Thursday — the 4,056-teu MSC Gina (built 1999).
The trajectory of the MSC Gina, however, suggests that its itinerary was indeed disrupted. It set sail this month from Colombo, heading west. Vessel trackers show it anchored laden in Djibouti since 7 May.
US military authorities reported several Houthi operations with missiles and drones in the area on that day.
Some of the projectiles were intercepted by US forces, while another crashed into the sea, US Central Command said.
Never-ending crisis
The Houthis have launched close to 100 attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since mid-November.
Earlier this month, the group displayed a capability for the first time to carry out long-distance drone strikes in the Indian Ocean and it threatened to extend its action in the Mediterranean as well.
Official Houthi policy is to target vessels they believe to be affiliated with the US, the UK and Israel or to be trading with Israel — to pressure the Israeli government to stop its military campaign against the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza.
The attacks, however, have become indiscriminate over time — whether by accident or design.
Most of them are stopped or miss their targets completely, although about a dozen vessels have been hit, with one of them sinking.
As Western military forces have failed to quell the Houthi threat and provide full protection for passing vessels, Red Sea traffic has been cut by about half, with the rest diverting around Africa.
Carried out through drones, missiles, attempted boardings and one hijacking, the attacks have led to the death of three seafarers and 10 Houthi fighters, as well as the abduction of 25 crew members on the 5,100-ceu Galaxy Leader (built 2002).
Retaliatory Western airstrikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen have caused other victims.
