Red Sea: Crew member injured as Houthi missiles hit bulk carrier

Iran-backed Houthi forces launched two anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) into the Gulf of Aden yesterday, which struck a bulk carrier and caused fire, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

PHOTO: A large cargo vessel is sailing in the sea. Getty Images

The Yemen-based militant group hit M/V Verbena, a Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier, twice within 24 hours, CENTCOM reported. The missile strikes resulted in a fire, and one crew member was “severely injured during the attack,” CENTCOM said.

M/V Verbena was recently docked in Malaysia and was en route to Italy, CENTCOM said. It was carrying wood construction material.

“M/V Verbena reported damage and subsequent fires on board. The crew continues to fight the fire,” CENTCOM added.

The Yemeni militia’s spokesperson Yahya Sare’e claimed the attack on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The attacks in the Red Sea are being “closely monitored” by the global shipping industry as well as oil market traders, according to analysts from Saxo Bank.

Separately, the US naval forces destroyed one air defense sensor in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, one unmanned surface vessel (USV), one unmanned aerial system (UAS), and two Houthi patrol boats in the Red Sea.

These repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea have heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and raised safety concerns in the global shipping industry, according to analysts.

“Geopolitical risks continue to hover. A cargo vessel was on fire after being hit by projectiles while sailing in the Gulf of Aden,” ANZ Bank’s senior commodity strategist Daniel Hynes said.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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