Washington sanctions Houthi-linked vessel

The US administration has sanctioned another container ship for shipping commodities to the Yemen-based Houthi militant group.

IMAGE: The flags of the US and Yemen. Getty Images

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned the Russia-flagged vessel Am Theseus, which also goes by the name of Zafar, for conducting at least two shipments of "stolen Ukrainian grain" from Crimea to Yemen in the summer and fall of 2024, it said.

OFAC has also sanctioned the registered owner and operator of Am Theseus: Hong Kong-based AM Asia M6.

The Houthis have procured “tens of millions of dollars’ worth of commodities from Russia, including weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, for onward shipment to Houthi-controlled Yemen,” OFAC claimed.

The militant group has repeatedly used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, to attack commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.

These repeated attacks on commercial vessels have heightened tensions in the Middle East and stoked safety concerns in the global shipping industry.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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