Houthi missile hits Chinese oil tanker
The crew of the Huang Pu put out a fire that broke out when the missile struck
INDIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / AFP
Daily TribuneThe crew of the Huang Pu put out a fire that broke out when the missile struck
INDIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / AFP
A Chinese-owned oil tanker caught fire in the Red Sea after it was hit by a Houthi missile coming from Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday.
The crew of the Panamanian-flagged Huang Pu put out the fire within half an hour, the United States Central Command said in a statement on social media platform X early on Sunday.
“No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course,” the statement said.
CENTCOM said Houthi rebels had launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea near the Huang Pu before a fifth hit the vessel.
CENTCOM and the British navy’s United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations reported the fire that erupted onboard but the Marinetraffic tracking website later reported the vessel sailing out of the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden heading for its next port of call which, according to maritime security agency Ambrey, was New Mangalore in India.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which UKMTO said struck 23 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Mokha.
The Houthis have vowed to target Israeli, British and US ships, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic along the vital trade route.