Container Ship in Arabian Sea Attacked by Drone: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Claim Responsibility
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Portuguese-flagged container ship came under attack by a drone in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea, corresponding with a claim by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that they assaulted the ship there, authorities said Tuesday.
Attack on the MSC Orion
The attack on the MSC Orion occurred roughly 600 kilometers (375 miles) off the coast of Yemen, marking the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November. This indicates the potential capability of the Houthis, or their backer Iran, in striking distant regions like the Indian Ocean amid their ongoing campaign related to Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, part of the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces in the Mideast, confirmed the attack that took place last Friday. Fortunately, the ship only sustained minor damage, and all crew members are reported safe. Satellite data analyzing the ship’s location on Saturday corroborated the incident in the designated area off the coast, as the MSC Orion was en route to Salalah, Oman.
Ship Details
The MSC Orion has links with Zodiac Maritime, a London-based company in Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Operating on behalf of the Mediterranean Shipping Co., the Naples, Italy-based firm, Zodiac Maritime referred questions to MSC, which did not provide any comment regarding the incident.
Possible Motive
The Joint Maritime Information Center has assessed that the attack on MSC Orion was likely due to its perceived Israeli affiliation. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, although the timing of the rebels acknowledging the incident after several days remains unexplained.
Houthi Tactics in Question
The attack has raised questions about the Houthis’ ability to employ long-range assaults on moving targets, hundreds of kilometers/miles away from Yemen’s shores. Until now, their primary focus has been the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. These areas, significant for international trade, are in close proximity to Yemen. The rebels do not possess an expeditionary naval fleet, nor do they have sophisticated means, such as satellites, to control long-distance drones.
Iran, known for supplying Shiite rebels in their conflict with Yemen, has been implicated by Western countries and experts as the potential instigator of sophisticated attacks, including the 2019 assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields that temporarily halved the kingdom’s energy production. Moreover, Iran routinely operates military vessels in the Arabian Sea and was recently involved in seizing the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, along with its crew, prior to the unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel on April 13.
International Response
The Houthis’ attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have escalated the threat and diminished maritime activity in these regions. The U.S. Maritime Administration has reported over 50 Houthi attacks on shipping, including the seizure and sinking of vessels, since November. Recently, the rebels released footage of their drone attack on the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged bulk carrier, using a newly-named “Shihab” drone, a kind likely supplied by Iran.
In a separate incident, the U.S. military acknowledged the Houthis’ claim of shooting down one of its MQ-9 Reaper drones, with an investigation underway. On another front, the U.S. military’s Central Command destroyed a Houthi drone boat on Tuesday.
