A US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden has come under attack from a bomb-carrying drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.
The attack on the Genco Picardy was the second in recent days targeting vessels directly linked to America after US-led strikes targeting the Houthis. It also underlined the risks to shipping in the vital waterway amid Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attack happened 70 miles south east of Aden, where the drone smashed into the vessel, said United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an arm of the Royal Navy that oversees Middle Eastern waterways.
The ship’s captain reported a fire onboard had been extinguished, it said. “Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call,” it added.
UKMTO WARNING 013/JAN/2024
INCIDENT 015 – ATTACK UPDATE 002https://t.co/qlApy9q9pq#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/hd6EVKxoxwAdvertisement— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 17, 2024
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, identified the ship as the bulk carrier Genco Picardy. Satellite-tracking data had put that vessel off Saudi Arabia in recent days as it was bound for India.
The Houthis “confirm that a response to the American and British attacks is inevitably coming, and that any new attack will not remain without response and punishment”, Brig Gen Saree said in a recorded video address.
Ship ownership data listed the Genco Picardy’s owner as New York City-based Genco Ship Management.
Genco acknowledged the attack and said the vessel was carrying a load of phosphate rock.
“All seafarers aboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the company said. “An initial inspection by the crew indicates that damage to the vessel’s gangway is limited, and the vessel has remained stable and under way on a course out of the area.”
The Houthis say the attacks are aimed at backing Hamas and Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war on Hamas, but they have frequently targeted vessels with no clear links to Israel.
The US and its allies have carried out three rounds of air strikes targeting Houthi sites over the last week, to try to deter the militants.
However, the Houthis have launched several attacks in the time since, further endangering ships travelling on a crucial trade route for cargo and energy shipments moving from Asia and the Middle East towards Europe.
The Houthi attacks are one part of wider tensions gripping the region. Iran staged air strikes late on Monday in Iraq, killing at least four people.
The UK’s ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, said on Wednesday that a British national, Karam Mikhael, was among the civilians killed there.
Iran has been edging closer to acknowledging its own role in attacking a vessel in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka and India on January 4. The chemical tanker Pacific Gold was struck by what the US Navy called “an Iranian one-way attack” drone, causing some damage to the vessel but no injuries.
On Wednesday, Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen reported Iran’s Revolutionary Guard carried out that attack, as well as another one not independently confirmed on a separate vessel.
Al-Mayadeen is a channel politically affiliated with Hezbollah which has previously announced other Iran-linked attacks in the region.
The Pacific Gold is managed by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. Eastern Pacific has previously been targeted in suspected Iranian attacks.
Iran potentially acknowledging the Pacific Gold attack comes as Tehran has been trying to lash out without directly targeting either the US or Israel.
