The British tanker was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India. (Representative)
Los Angeles:
Yemen’s Houthis said Saturday their missiles hit the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea, as they continue to attack commercial ships in the region in a show of support for Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war.
The ship’s captain reported damage to the vessel, British maritime safety company Ambrey said.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said the Panama-flagged ship was British-owned, but shipping data shows it was recently sold, according to LSEG and Ambrey data.
Its current owner is registered in Seychelles. The tanker is engaged in trade linked to Russia. He was on his way from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India, Ambrey said.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November, forcing shippers to reroute goods on more long and more expensive routes around southern Africa and stoking Israel’s fears. -The Hamas war could expand and destabilize the Middle East.
The attack on the Andromeda Star comes after a brief pause in the Houthi campaign targeting ships with links to Israel, the United States and Britain.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower left the Red Sea via the Suez Canal on Friday after helping a U.S.-led coalition protect commercial shipping.
The Houthis said on Friday they had shot down a US MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Yemen’s Saada province.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
