A US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Wednesday from a bomb-carrying drone launched by Yemen's Houthi, officials said. The attack on the Genco Picardy represented the second in recent days, targeting vessels directly linked to America after US-led strikes targeting the Houthis. The attack happened 110 kilometers southeast of Aden, where the drone smashed into the vessel, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an arm of the British navy that oversees Mideast waterways. The ship's captain reported there was fire onboard that had been extinguished, but the vessel and crew were safe. Ambrey said that the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier was hit as it was heading east along the Gulf of Aden. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, identified the ship attacked as the bulk carrier Genco Picardy. The Iran-backed group said earlier it would continue to target ships using the vital Red Sea shipping lanes in support for Palestinians in Gaza.
The Yemeni government expressed satisfaction Wednesday with a recent decision by the US to re-designate the Houthi group, officially known as Ansar Allah, as a global terrorist group. In an official statement published by the country's official news agency SABA, it emphasized that the US decision is consistent with the Yemeni government's designation of the group as a terrorist organization in line with Yemeni laws. The statement said the US designation is also a response to the Yemeni government's persistent call for international support in safeguarding the Yemeni people from the oppression and terrorism of the group.
Business chiefs warned Wednesday that disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by attacks by Yemen's Houthis could affect supply chains for months and lead to a shortage of tankers needed to transport fuel. Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi group on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza in the wake of their shock October 7 onslaught, and have threatened to expand attacks to include US ships in response to American and British strikes on their sites in Yemen. The alternative shipping route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope can add - days to a journey compared to a passage via the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.
India's navy said on Thursday that it responded to a drone attack distress call from a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Aden and that the ship's crew were safe, with a fire on board under control, the Indian Navy said in a statement. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and nearby region, which have disrupted shipping on a key trade route, and Indian military authorities have responded to at least two such attacks and hijacking attempts previously.
