Karachi-bound ship attacked in Red Sea

Houthis claim to have fired missiles at container vessel

CAIRO:

A container ship while en route from King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia to the Karachi Port was targeted in the Red Sea on Tuesday in attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi militia, but there were no casualties onboard, owner of the ship said in a statement.

The Mediterranean Shipping Co said that the United VIII was attacked while transiting the Red Sea on Tuesday. "All crew are safe with no reported injuries and a thorough assessment of the vessel is being conducted," MSC said. “The vessel was en route from King Abdullah Port to Karachi.”

The Houthi militia claimed to have fired missiles at the vessel, without saying it was struck. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said that its aircraft intercepted “hostile aerial target” in the area of the Red Sea. However, the military did not elaborate.

The details of the latest attack are sketchy and it was not immediately known whether the claims by the Houthi militia and the Israeli military were about the same incident. In recent weeks, the Huthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting several vessels in the Red Sea.

Read Explosions reported in Red Sea shipping lane off Yemen coast

The Red Sea attacks on ships, since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of much longer voyages.

On Saturday, a drone strike damaged a ship on its way from Saudi Arabia to India off the coast of Indian state of Gujarat but caused no casualties, two maritime agencies said, with one reporting that the merchant vessel was linked to Israel.

The attack occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India. The Indian navy said it had responded to a request for assistance and a navy warship has been dispatched. On Tuesday, India also reported a blast at close proximity to Israel embassy in New Delhi.

Simultaneously, a drone was downed near the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Tuesday, two security sources told Reuters. The sources could not confirm its origin. Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV had reported earlier that explosions were heard over Dahab.

“A flying object was downed approximately 2 km from the shores of Dahab,” Al Qahera said, citing witnesses. Earlier in December, Egyptian air defences shot down a suspected drone near Dahab, security sources had said.

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