Houthis fire at Singapore-owned vessels in Red Sea

Market: Freight
12/03/24

Yemen's Houthi militants fired two missiles at a Singapore-owned merchant vessel in the Red Sea on 11 March, marking the second attack on a Singapore-owned ship in less than a week.

The missiles did not hit the Liberia-flagged Pinocchio and there were no injuries or damage, the US Central Command (CentCom) said on 12 March. The attack took place between 8.50am (05:50 GMT) and 12.50pm Sana'a time on 11 March. The UK Maritime Trade Operations received a report of the incident 71 nautical miles southwest of Saleef, Yemen.

CentCom said it carried out six self-defence strikes between 2.50pm and 11.30pm Sana'a time on 11 March, destroying an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The Houthis on 8 March fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden at the Propel Fortune, a Singapore-flagged, owned and operated vessel. There were no injuries or damage, CentCom said.

The Houthis recorded a first fatal strike on commercial shipping last week when they attacked the True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden.

Attacks by the Houthi militants have prompted many vessels to take the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope, driving up freight rates.

By Reena Nathan

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