Houthi rebels have inflicted the first fatal attack on a ship since the Iran-backed group began reprisals for the Israel-Gaza War in November 2023.
Three seafarers on the Barbados-flagged 2011-built Supramax bulk carrier True Confidence were killed when anti-ship ballistic missiles hit the ship at 11.30 am (Yemen time) on 6 March, while three others suffered burns.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said, “The crew abandoned the ship and coalition warships responded and are assessing the situation.”
The 20-man crew (15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, and one Indian) and three armed guards on the ship escaped on lifeboats, after which they were picked up by an Indian warship and taken to Djibouti, where the injured were conveyed to a hospital.
A statement from True Confidence’s owners and managers said, “It is with great sadness that owners and managers report that as a result of the missile attack, one Vietnamese and two Filipino crew members have lost their lives. A further two Filipinos crew members have suffered serious injuries.”
True Confidence was sailing from Lianyungang, China, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, carrying steel cargoes, when it was hit 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden.
The ship was owned by US investment fund Oaktree Capital Management until February 2024, when it was sold. The vessel is held by a Liberian entity, True Confidence Shipping, and operated by a Greece-based company, Third January Maritime.
More than 70 ships have been targeted by Iran-backed Houthis as retaliation against Israel, causing many vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope.
Centcom said that in the last two days, Houthis have five anti-ship ballistic missiles have been fired at ships. Two hit the Mediterranean Shipping Company ship MSC Sky II, which escaped; two hit True Confidence and one was shot down by US warship USS Carney.
Centcom said, “These reckless attacks by the Houthis have disrupted global trade and taken the lives of international seafarers.”
Around 7.14 pm (Yemen time), Centcom conducted self-defense strikes against two unmanned aerial vehicles in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen that presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US naval ships in the region.
Centcom said, “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels.”
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
