An oil tanker, M/V Saibaba, was hit by a one-way attack drone fired allegedly by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Saturday. The attack occurred around 10:30 pm (IST) on Saturday, just hours after a chemical tanker, Chem Pluto, was hit by a drone off Gujarat coast.
A post on X by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) said two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday.
"At approximately 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Naval Forces Central Command received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack. The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported," the post read.
However, the Indian Navy countered the US claims, adding that MV Saibaba was not Indian-flagged but carried a Gabonese flag. However, the vessel had 25 Indians as crew members, who are all safe.
The CENTCOM added that its warship, USS Laboon (DDG 58), responded to the distress calls from these attacks. There were no injuries or damage in this incident.
The statement also added that the USS Laboon also shot down four unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that were targeted at it during its patrol operations in the Southern Red Sea.
On December 23 two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 24, 2023
Between 3 and 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG… pic.twitter.com/jcBisbXBaS
"These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17," CENTCOM said in a post on X.
The US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian recently to ensure the safety of vessels on the Red Sea and Gulf of Eden post the Israel-Hamas war. The operation has over a dozen countries participating in it.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency earlier reported that an unmanned aerial system had exploded near a vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 45 nautical miles southwest of Saleef, Yemen.
This comes as a drone, which the Pentagon says originated from Iran, hit a chemical tanker off Porbandar coast in Gujarat in the Arabian Sea on Saturday was fired from Iran, the Pentagon has said.
