No casualties were reported in the attack on the Strinda tanker as it passed through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they have rammed a Norwegian tanker in the latest military operation by the Iran-allied group amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Norwegian-owned and operated ship Strinda was collided on Monday night while passing through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.
On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Salih said the group targeted the ship because it was “carrying oil” bound for Israel.
He said in a televised statement that the crew had not responded to all warnings and that the Houthis would continue to block ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows food and medical aid to enter the Gaza Strip. he added.
According to ship tracking data, the oil and chemical tanker Strinda was heading to Italy. According to its website, the ship is part of the fleet of Bergen-based shipping company Morwinkels Rederi.
The company’s chief executive, Geir Belsnes, confirmed that the ship had been “directly hit by a missile” and the fire had broken out.
“Fortunately, none of the crew members were injured and we managed to extinguish the fire,” Belsnes told Al Jazeera in an email. “Our focus has been and continues to be the safety and well-being of our seafarers.”
He added that the ship is now “proceeding towards a safe port.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the attack occurred around midnight local time (9:00 p.m. Japan time) by “what is believed to be an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) fired from Houthi-held territory in Yemen.” did.
The attack came as Israel’s war in Gaza escalates and threats against commercial shipping in the region intensify. The Houthis carried out a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and launched drones and missiles targeting Israel. They have threatened in recent days to target ships believed to be traveling to or from Israel.
CENTCOM announced that the USS Mason responded to Strinda’s Mayday call and provided assistance.
The United States and France did not explicitly say their ships were targeted, but acknowledged that Houthi drones had fired at their ships and that they had been shot down in self-defense.
The US government has so far refused to respond directly to the attack, as has Israel. The Israeli military continues to insist that the ships have no connection to Israel.
In November, the Houthis seized a vehicle transport vessel linked to Israel in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. Rebels are still holding ships near the port city of Hodeidah. Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire was attacked by a drone believed to be Iranian in the Indian Ocean.
A tentative ceasefire is in place between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen’s government-in-exile after years of fighting that has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
