On January 12, Houthi rebels launched a missile strike near Yemen, targeting a tanker that was transporting Russian oil.
The incident occurred off the coast of Yemen, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reporting the missile launch 90 nautical miles southeast of Aden. The tanker’s master reported the missile landing in the water about 400-500 meters away, followed by three small craft. Fortunately, there were no injuries or damage to the vessel.
UKMTO WARNING 007/JAN/2024 UPDATE 001https://t.co/6a9TLpaLrg#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/eZIBRlsLSo
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 12, 2024
According to Reuters, in their report, Ambrey stated that the Panama-flagged tanker, carrying Russian oil, encountered three skiffs while transiting through the International Recommended Transit Corridor.
Ambrey concluded that the vessel was mistakenly targeted due to outdated information linking it to the United Kingdom. The information in question was five months old but remained listed as UK-affiliated in a public maritime database.
To remind, the United States and Britain responded to previous Houthi attacks last week by conducting air and sea strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
In response, Russia, an ally of Iran and a partner to key Arab powers, denounced the strikes and called for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
