The situation in the Red Sea region has taken another turn for the worse this week, after a missile attack on a bulk carrier ship led to the first fatalities of commercial crew members since Houthi targeting began.
The vessel ‘True Confidence’, a Greek-operated ship, was travelling in the Gulf Of Aden when it was targeted by Houthi Rebels on Wednesday morning, which resulted in the deaths of three of it’s crew.
According to reports, a further four crew members were injured, with three of them in a critical condition. The remaining crew had to abandon ship, with the vessel on fire and drifting.
The attack took place around 50 miles southwest of the Yemen city of Aden. A Houthi spokesperson has claimed responsibility for the attack, and also stated that the vessel’s crew had ignored warnings from Houthi Naval forces ahead of the strike.
Meanwhile, the British registered vessel ‘Rubymar’, which was struck by two Houthi missiles on February 18th, finally sunk earlier this week. The crew had also abandoned ship as the vessel was taking on water, which continued for days after.
The vessel is understood to have been carrying ammonium nitrate fertilisers and experts fear this could lead to an environmental disaster, impacting marine ecosystems, coral reefs and the diverse marine life of the Red Sea.
Recent attacks seem to have justified carrier’s decisions to route container vessels around the Cape Of Good Hope, which looks set to continue for some time.
