Houthis continue to step up their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and have claimed assaults on three ships this week, including one Maersk boxship, Maersk Seletar.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree alleged that the Iran-backed rebel group had fired anti-ship ballistic missiles at Handysize bulk carrier Vantage Dream and a ship called Roza in the Red Sea.
Ship databases show there are now two in-service vessels called Roza, an oil tanker, and a bulk carrier. S&P Global’s vessel-tracking data shows that the oil tanker had not transited the Suez Canal, while the bulk carrier, whose owner appears to be Evalend Shipping of Greece, was due to arrive in the Suez today (6 June).
Saree also said that the US-flagged 6,478 TEU Maersk Seletar was fired at in the Arabian Sea, although the Danish liner giant said its vessel reported no such attack.
“In connection with recent Houthi claims regarding an attack on Maersk Seletar on 5 June, we can confirm that no such incident was reported by the vessel, which is currently safely continuing her journey,”
Vessel-tracking data shows that Maersk Seletar left India’s Pipavav port on 1 June and arrived in Oman’s Salalah port on 5 June, departing the same day.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said that an unnamed ship escaped a Houthi missile on 1 June, with the ship’s master reporting a blast off the ship’s port side some 50 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudia Arabia
US Central Command stated that its forces destroyed one Houthi drone in the morning (Yemen time) on 1 June, and watched two other drones crash into the Red Sea. That night, two ASBMs were fired at the US warship USS Gravely, and were destroyed by US forces.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
