The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Monday they had launched a missile at an Israel-linked oil tanker travelling in the Red Sea, amid renewed threats to shipping in the area.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Scarlet Ray in a message on a TV channel controlled by the Houthis, Associated Press reports.
The Scarlet Ray is linked to Israel, the Houthis claim.
The owner of the vessel, Singapore-based company Eastern Pacific Shipping, is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, according to AP.
The Houthi claim came hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center flagged on Sunday it had received a report of an incident 40 nautical miles southwest Of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
“A Master has reported to UKMTO that they witnessed a splash in close proximity to their vessel from an unknown projectile and heard a loud bang. All crew are safe and the vessel continues on its voyage. Authorities are investigating,” UKMTO said, urging caution for tankers traveling the Red Sea.
The Houthis targeted many vessels in 2023 and 2024, to the point of disrupting global trade routes and oil tanker flows. The rebels attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and near its vital chokepoint, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
In 2024, the shifts in crude flows due to the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea affected global oil trade.
According to vessel-tracking data from Kpler, crude exports from the Middle East to Europe slumped by 22% last year, due to tankers avoiding the shortest route from the Middle East to Europe and opting for the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Yemen earlier this year and declared the threat had been neutralized.
Before today’s incident, the previous Houthi attacks on commercial shipping occurred in early July, when the rebels struck two Greek-operated bulk carriers near Hodeidah.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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