For the second time in a week, the Houthis have pursued a crude oil tanker belonging to the Greek shipping company Delta Tankers.
The ship was attacked several times, but the rebels missed it. The Yemeni militia pursued the “Delta Atlantica” for several hours. At the time, the ship was about 63 nm southwest of al-Hudaida. According to the news agency Reuters, citing the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), there were a total of three targeted attacks on the tanker. Several explosions were reported in the vicinity of the ship, as well as the approach of a small boat that had behaved “suspiciously” and flashed in the direction of the tanker.
Houthi attacked “Delta Atlantica” several times
The “Delta Atlantica” (161,762 dwt) sails under the Liberian flag and left Iraq on 4 August bound for Greece. The Houthis have not yet commented on the attack. Security experts assume that the militia has targeted the shipping company because of its links to Israel.
A few days ago, the rebels attacked another Delta Tankers ship. The “Delta Blue” (158,322 dwt) was also not damaged and was able to cross the Suez Canal yesterday.
In addition to the “Delta Atlantica”, a second crude oil tanker is also said to have been attacked in the early morning. The “On Phoenix” (114,623 dwt), a Panamanian-flagged vessel belonging to the Anglo Eastern shipping company, was 97 nm northwest of al-Hudaida when an explosion was reported. The tanker was on a voyage from Kuwait to Amsterdam. No further information is yet available.
As part of the “EUNAVFOR Aspides” operation, naval forces have, so far, responded to requests from 250 merchant ships passing through the Red Sea. The German Armed Forces have also been involved in the operation since February, most recently with the frigate “Hessen”, which returned to Germany in April.
