The Suezmax tanker “Delta Blue” of the Greek shipping company Delta Tankers was attacked four times by Houthi within one day.
The militia used rocket launchers and unmanned boats, among other things. The crew was not harmed. In the first attack on Thursday last week, two small boats approached the ship, which flies the Liberian flag, and fired a rocket launcher in the middle of the Bab el-Mandab Strait. The missile exploded near the ship, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKTMO).
The second attack took place early on last Friday when another missile “exploded in close proximity to the vessel”, according to the UKMTO. “The vessel and crew are reported to be safe.”
Houthi attacked with bomb boats and rocket launchers
Security firm Ambrey, which said it had a private security team on board the ship, described the vessel being hit by a drone that caused no injuries or property damage.
In a third attack on the “Delta Blue” (also last Friday), the ship was attacked by a small boat and an unmanned, remote-controlled watercraft. Such “bomb boats” have been used more frequently in recent times. According to Ambrey, the drone approached the ship at high speed. As it approached, the armed guards opened fire and successfully destroyed the boat.
Determined to destroy the ship, the Houthi fired another missile at the ship two hours later, but it missed. The “Delta Blue” (158,322 dwt) was able to continue its journey from Basra (Iraq) to Greece.
In recent months, attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia on merchant ships passing through the Red Sea have become more frequent. Some ships have sunk as a result of the attacks. Numerous services are currently being diverted via the Cape of Good Hope.
