Houthis Hit Fuel Tanker With Missile in Vital Trade Artery

Dana Khraiche, Mohammed Hatem and Alaric Nightingale
·4 min read
20

(Bloomberg) -- A fuel tanker was struck by a missile as it navigated the Red Sea, the latest in a string of incidents that have turned the waters off the coast of Yemen into the world’s riskiest shipping route.

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At least 10 merchant ships have now been attacked or approached around Yemen since Israel’s war with Hamas broke out in October. Iran-backed Houthi militants are supporting Hamas, which is designated a terror group by the US and European Union, in the conflict.

The 470-foot Strinda was hired by Eni SpA and heading to Italy — a reminder of the wider risks posed to global shipping by the Hamas-Israel war. The Houthis said they targeted the vessel because it was destined for Israel, and port information shows it was due to go there early next year.

The stretch of water where the incidents have taken place is part of maritime corridor handling about 12% of global trade. An anti-ship cruise missile struck the Strinda on Monday as it passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait separating East Africa from the Arabian peninsula, US Central Command said in a statement on X.

J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi, the ship’s Norwegian owner, said the Strinda was bound for Italy carrying a cargo of feedstock to make biofuels. That was confirmed by Eni.

Read More: Why Yemen’s Houthis Have Joined Fight Against Israel: QuickTake

The Strinda, an oil and chemicals tanker sailing under the flag of Norway, reported damage and fire on board, but no casualties. The destroyer USS Mason responded to the vessel’s distress call, according to Centcom.

The Norwegian government condemned the attack.

“The attacks pose a mortal danger to crew and cause great economic and material losses to innocent parties,” said Eivind Vad Petersson, a state secretary for the country. “The possible consequences of a regional conflict escalation are dramatic. Norway is in close dialog with relevant partners both in and outside the region.”

Read more: US Warns of Evolving Threats to Ships Sailing in Red Sea

The Houthis have said they would attack ships that have links to — or are sailing toward — Israel, describing them as “legitimate targets.” Other Iran-backed militant groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria have been launching missiles toward Israel or at US bases to pressure the Israeli government to halt its attack on the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas.

The Strinda had been “tentatively nominated” to collect a cargo from Ashdod in Israel, J. Ludwig Mowinckels said in a statement on its website. That was three weeks ago and subject to there not being an escalation in the area, it said.

“There’s damage but we don’t know how bad it is yet,” said Geir Belsnes, chief executive officer of the firm, confirming the ship’s crew were uninjured and that the vessel was able to carry on its voyage.

Wider Risks

Eni said in a statement the tanker was bringing a 15,000-ton cargo of waste vegetable oil to the country from southeast Asia. That would give the ship plenty of time to then get to Ashdod in Israel by early next year, which is when the port’s website shows it as being due to load.

Large amounts of energy, commodities and manufactured goods are transported through the Red Sea on ships that use Egypt’s Suez Canal as a shortcut between Asia and Europe. Avoiding it adds thousands of miles as the vessels must instead sail around Africa.

The US has been in talks with its Gulf allies about potential military action against the Yemeni group in response to their increasingly brazen attacks on ships, Bloomberg reported last week, citing several people with knowledge of the discussions.

Read More: US in Talks With Gulf Allies on Military Action Against Houthis

Deputy US National Security Adviser Jon Finer has said that the Biden administration has “not ruled out the possibility of taking military action” against the Houthis but the focus for now is on assembling a maritime coalition to secure the Red Sea.

“A direct hit by a missile on an oil tanker raises the likelihood of a more robust military retaliation by allied armed forces,” said Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group.

--With assistance from Omar Tamo, Alisa Odenheimer, Alex Longley, Julian Lee, Antonio Vanuzzo and Stephen Treloar.

(Updates with consultant’s comment in final paragraph.)

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