Six crew members were killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a small cargo ship in the Bab el Mandeb strait yesterday, Yemen’s transport ministry said, while sources reported a missile attack on a container ship off Pakistan in a suspected US strike.
The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, if confirmed, would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 28. The Houthis have not claimed the attack.
Three Pakistanis and one Indonesian were killed, the Yemeni ministry said, adding the crew lost control of the vessel after being attacked.
Three coastguard personnel were injured after being targeted by a drone while trying to rescue the crew, Yemeni military sources said.
The ship was hit by an unknown projectile, according to a report received by the British navy-affiliated agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The incident occurred while the ship was at anchor northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, British maritime security group Ambrey said.
Shipping through the Bab el Mandeb strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50 per cent since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks on shipping in 2023-25.
They have fallen further since the Houthis announced their blockade last month, with an average of 32 ships per day passing through the strait last week, according to Kpler data, down from an average of 50 before the blockade.
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