U.S. Central Command: Houthi Ballistic Missile Attack On Bulk Carrier Kills Three
United States Central Command said Wednesday that a Houthi ballistic missile attack on a merchant bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden killed three of its crew members, the first such attack to have resulted in deaths since Houthi attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea started in October 2023.
In a statement, Central Command stated that the missile that struck the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned True Confidence was launched at 11:30AM Sanaa time on March 6. “The multinational crew reports three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship”. The crew abandoned ship following the missile impact, with coalition warships that responded now “assessing the situation”.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack prior to Central Command’s statement, with spokesperson Yahya Saree claiming that the “American ship” had ignored Houthi “warnings” prior to the attack. The Iranian-backed group has repeatedly made false claims that the ships it targets are owned or operated by the United States or Israel.
A statement from Greek ship managers Third January Maritime viewed by the Financial Times stated that the True Confidence had a crew of 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese and one Indian national, alongside two Sri Lankan and one Nepalese security guard. The nationalities of the deceased crew members have not been disclosed as of writing.
The fatal attack comes shortly after the sinking of the dry bulk carrier MV Rubymar on March 2, which had been abandoned following a Houthi ballistic missile attack on February 18 that left it steadily taking on water. The crew of the Rubymar was able to safely abandon ship, but an oil leak caused by the attack and the 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer aboard the Rubymar has led to Central Command and Yemen’s internationally recognized government warning of a potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea.