Yemen’s Houthis renew attacks on shipping

Yemen-based Houthi militants targeted the cargo vessel Groton in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles, said Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree on 4 August.

The attack is part of a "fourth round of escalation", Saree said, adding that "the hit was accurate". The Houthis targeted the Groton because of a "violation of ban decision of access to the ports of occupied Palestine by the company that owns the ship".

This matches reports from the UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) of an attack on an unnamed merchant vessel that was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden. All crew are safe and there are no observed fires, water entry or oil leaks, UKMTO said on 4 August, adding that the vessel is proceeding to the next port of call.

The latest attack marks the Houthis' first since Israel on 20 July struck the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, in retaliation for the Houthis' drone attack on Tel Aviv. Saree had vowed an "inevitable" and "huge" retaliation to Israel's assault.

Crude prices rose in response to the renewed Houthi attacks. The Ice front-month October Brent contract on 5 August was at $77.20/bl at 03:21 GMT, up by 0.51pc from its previous settlement. The Nymex front-month September crude contract was at $73.81/bl, up by 0.39pc from its previous settlement.

By Tng Yong Li