“The vessel was en path to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia when it was struck. Its crew consists of 22 Filipinos and three Indian armed guards,” an official from Cosmoship, the Greek firm that owns the vessel, informed POLITICO. It was not clear whether or not the assault had ended, because the comms have been impacted and the crew couldn’t be contacted, the official added.
Two senior Greek authorities officers confirmed the assault and the nationalities of the folks on board.
The assault got here hours after Houthi militants claimed duty for the same assault on one other Greek-owned ship within the Crimson Sea, the Liberian-flagged bulk service Magic Seas, which they claimed to have sunk. The vessel was attacked on Sunday with drones, missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, forcing its crew to desert ship. They have been picked up by a passing vessel and transferred to Djibouti.
POLITICO contacted a spokesperson for the Houthi rebels by e-mail however didn’t instantly obtain a reply.
For the reason that begin of the battle in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have fired at Israel and at transport within the Crimson Sea, disrupting international commerce in what the group has described as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The Israeli navy stated it struck Houthi-held Yemeni ports early Monday for the primary time in practically a month.
