LONDON/WASHINGTON: Yemen‘s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked two crude oil tankers – the Saudi-flagged Amjad and the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon I – within the Pink Sea on Monday, the US army stated, calling the assaults “reckless acts of terrorism”.
The Houthis late on Monday claimed accountability for focusing on the Blue Lagoon with a number of missiles and drones however didn’t make any point out of the Saudi tanker.
The US Central Command stated the Houthis attacked the 2 tankers with two ballistic missiles and a one-way assault uncrewed aerial system, hitting each vessels.
Each vessels have been laden with crude oil, with the Amjad carrying about two million barrels of oil, in response to the US army assertion, which described the assaults as “reckless acts of terrorism by the Houthis.”
Two sources advised Reuters earlier that the ships have been crusing close to one another after they have been hit however have been capable of proceed their voyages with no main harm assessed or any casualties.
The Amjad’s proprietor, Saudi nationwide transport group Bahri, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The supertanker has a most capability of two million barrels.
The Greek supervisor of the Blue Lagoon I, Sea Commerce Marine SA, was not instantly accessible for remark. The Suezmax tanker has a most capability of 1 million barrels.
One of many sources advised Reuters the Amjad was unlikely to have been straight focused.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s high oil exporter, has watched with alarm as Houthi missiles have been fired over its territory to focus on ships within the Pink Sea. Saudi Arabia has tried to extract itself from a messy conflict in Yemen and a damaging feud with the Houthis’ principal backer, Iran.
The Houthis first launched aerial drone and missile strikes on the waterway in November. They are saying they’re appearing in solidarity with Palestinians beneath assault in Israel’s conflict on Gaza that has killed tens of 1000’s, flattened a lot of the enclave and triggered a humanitarian disaster following Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ lethal Oct. 7 assault.
In additional than 70 assaults, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized one other and killed at the very least three seafarers.
The Joint Maritime Info Middle, run by worldwide naval forces to trace Houthi assaults, stated three ballistic missile assaults hit the Blue Lagoon I tanker on Monday 70 nautical miles northwest of the northern Yemeni port of Saleef.
The middle “assesses that M/V BLUE LAGOON I used to be focused attributable to different vessels inside its firm construction making latest port calls in Israel,” it stated in a report.
“All crew on board are protected. The vessel sustained minimal harm however doesn’t require help.”
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, Kanishka Singh in Washington, Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou in Athens, Adam Makary in Cairo, Yomna Ehab, Nadine Awadalla, Jana Choukeir and Yousef Saba in Dubai, Pesha Magid in Riyadh; Modifying by Jason Neely, David Evans, Angus MacSwan, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast.)
The Houthis late on Monday claimed accountability for focusing on the Blue Lagoon with a number of missiles and drones however didn’t make any point out of the Saudi tanker.
The US Central Command stated the Houthis attacked the 2 tankers with two ballistic missiles and a one-way assault uncrewed aerial system, hitting each vessels.
Each vessels have been laden with crude oil, with the Amjad carrying about two million barrels of oil, in response to the US army assertion, which described the assaults as “reckless acts of terrorism by the Houthis.”
Two sources advised Reuters earlier that the ships have been crusing close to one another after they have been hit however have been capable of proceed their voyages with no main harm assessed or any casualties.
The Amjad’s proprietor, Saudi nationwide transport group Bahri, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The supertanker has a most capability of two million barrels.
The Greek supervisor of the Blue Lagoon I, Sea Commerce Marine SA, was not instantly accessible for remark. The Suezmax tanker has a most capability of 1 million barrels.
One of many sources advised Reuters the Amjad was unlikely to have been straight focused.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s high oil exporter, has watched with alarm as Houthi missiles have been fired over its territory to focus on ships within the Pink Sea. Saudi Arabia has tried to extract itself from a messy conflict in Yemen and a damaging feud with the Houthis’ principal backer, Iran.
The Houthis first launched aerial drone and missile strikes on the waterway in November. They are saying they’re appearing in solidarity with Palestinians beneath assault in Israel’s conflict on Gaza that has killed tens of 1000’s, flattened a lot of the enclave and triggered a humanitarian disaster following Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ lethal Oct. 7 assault.
In additional than 70 assaults, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized one other and killed at the very least three seafarers.
The Joint Maritime Info Middle, run by worldwide naval forces to trace Houthi assaults, stated three ballistic missile assaults hit the Blue Lagoon I tanker on Monday 70 nautical miles northwest of the northern Yemeni port of Saleef.
The middle “assesses that M/V BLUE LAGOON I used to be focused attributable to different vessels inside its firm construction making latest port calls in Israel,” it stated in a report.
“All crew on board are protected. The vessel sustained minimal harm however doesn’t require help.”
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, Kanishka Singh in Washington, Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou in Athens, Adam Makary in Cairo, Yomna Ehab, Nadine Awadalla, Jana Choukeir and Yousef Saba in Dubai, Pesha Magid in Riyadh; Modifying by Jason Neely, David Evans, Angus MacSwan, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast.)
