On Saturday, a tanker carrying Russian oil could become a victim of the confrontation between the United States and the Houthis in the Red Sea. The Pentagon says Yemeni rebels hit the ship with a drone, but no one was injured. In Ansar Allah, the Americans tried to shoot down a reconnaissance drone and one of their missiles exploded next to the tanker.
On December 23, the tanker Sai Baba was one of the ships targeted by the Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait area of the Red Sea. This was reported by the US Army Central Command (Centcom).
“At approximately 8 p.m., U.S. Naval Forces Central Command received reports from two vessels in the southern Red Sea that they were under attack. The Blaamanen reported that a Houthi combat drone flew near the vessel, but no injuries or damage were reported. The second vessel, Sai Baba, a tanker, reported being hit by an attack drone, with no casualties reported,” Centcom said in a statement.
According to the vessels’ AIS data, the Gabon-flagged tanker Sai Baba is traveling from the Baltic port of Ust-Luga to one of the Indian ports. There may be up to 158 thousand tons of oil (1.1 million barrels of oil) on board the vessel.
Obviously, the ship was not damaged and continued on its way. At the same time, the Houthis put forward a different version of events regarding the attack on the Sai Baba tanker.
“While a Yemeni Army reconnaissance drone was conducting reconnaissance operations in the Red Sea, an American frigate was frantically firing at it with multiple weapons. This action shows their state of confusion and anxiety. One of the missiles fired by the American frigate exploded next to the ship, which was moving from Russia south of the Red Sea,” said Ansar Allah spokesman and chief negotiator of the Government of National Salvation of Yemen Mohammed Abdul-Salamreports Islamic World News.
The Houthi spokesman added that the militarization of the Red Sea by the United States and its allies poses a threat to international maritime shipping: “If the United States and its allies continue their path of intimidation, the Red Sea will become a burning zone, and countries bordering the Red Sea must wake up to the reality of the dangers.” that threaten their national security.”
As reported EADaily , over the weekend, another tanker was attacked by a drone in the Middle East – right in the Indian Ocean. However, the market did not react to the attack. The main flows, namely Russian and Middle Eastern raw materials, continue their journey through the Red Sea. Thus, on December 25, there were about 50 tankers in transit in the five-hundred-mile zone of the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. 26 of them were heading to the Indian Ocean. Another 22 followed in the opposite direction. According to the ships’ AIS data, there were six tankers in the area, transporting oil from Russian ports in the Black and Baltic Seas to India, China, Singapore and the UAE. Five more tankers were returning from delivery.
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2023-12-25 16:10:00
