Yemen’s Houthis claimed on Saturday that their missiles struck the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea, as they continue to assault commercial ships in the area in support of Palestinians battling Israel in the Gaza war.
Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, stated the ship’s master reported damage to the vessel.
According to LSEG data and Ambrey, the Panama-flagged ship was recently sold despite claims by Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea that it was British-owned.
The current owner is registered in Seychelles. The tanker is involved in Russia-related trading. Ambrey stated that it was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India.
Since November, Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched multiple drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, forcing shippers to reroute cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and fueling fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict will spread and destabilize the Middle East.
The attack on the Andromeda Star follows a brief hiatus in the Houthis’ campaign to target ships with ties to Israel, the United States, and Britain.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier left the Red Sea via the Suez Canal on Friday after aiding a US-led coalition to protect commercial vessels.
On Friday, the Houthis claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 drone in Yemen’s Saada province.
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