Houthi forces used unmanned craft to attack two vessels in the Red Sea on Monday that are controlled by Greek and Monaco-based interests.
Maritime security firm Diaplous reported that a small fishing boat that was probably remote-controlled came dangerously close to a Panama-flagged crude oil carrier sailing southbound, 97 nautical miles (180 kilometres) north-west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
Diaplous did not identify the ship that came under attack but it could be Stealth Maritime’s 107,500-dwt Chios Lion (built 2010), an aframax that the Houthis said late on Monday that they targeted with a motor boat in the Red Sea.
The armed security guards of the tanker first fired warning shots and then shot at the attacking sea drone directly, causing it to explode “at a distance of a few metres from the port side of the vessel”.
According to Diaplous, the tanker “sustained minor damage at port side, with no casualties reported” and kept on sailing.
The attacking fishing boat was about 10 metres long and was towing a skiff.
Monday morning attack
The strike against the crude carrier occurred at 12:15 GMT, just a few hours after another merchant vessel came under multiple attacks further south, 70 miles south-west of Hodeidah.
In that incident, which was also reported by Diaplous, one unmanned craft rammed the merchant vessel twice at about 05:30 GMT but was neutralised after armed guards carried out “self-protection” measures, including firing shots against two manned craft that had joined in the Houthi attack.
The Yemeni rebel group targeted the same ship again about three hours later using missiles, three of which exploded “in close proximity to the vessel”, according to Diaplous.
The merchant ship remained unharmed and its crew reported safely proceeding to its next port of call.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported the incident as well, saying the master of a vessel “reported being attacked by an uncrewed surface vessel which impacted on the port side causing some damage and light smoke”.
Neither the UKMTO nor Diaplous identified the ship that came under multiple attack early on Monday.
The description of the incident, however, matches the 40,100-dwt Bentley I (built 2004). The Houthis said late on Monday that they carried out combined operations against the ship using their “navy, missile force and the air force [with]… a number of boats, drones and ballistic missiles”.
The Bentley I is managed by Monaco-based Sea World Management.
TradeWinds reported last week that the emerging Houthi tactic of using a swarm of sea drones threatens a more destructive phase of attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The first sea drone was used against commercial shipping in January but had not hit a vessel until Evalend Shipping’s 82,000-dwt Tutor (built 2022) was sunk in June, with the death of one seafarer.
