NEW DELHI: A day after a Liberia-flagged merchant vessel M/V Chem Pluto carrying 21 Indian crew members came under a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said another merchant ship with 25 Indians came under attack in the southern Red Sea.
According to the US CENTCOM, the vessel, M/V SAIBABA, was hit by a one-way attack drone launched by Yemen-based Houthi militants in the southern Red Sea on Saturday. A Norwegian-flagged tanker was also similarly hit, but none of the crew members in either ship was injured.
“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 US CENTCOM posted on X. US Navy’s destroyer USS Laboon responded to the distress calls from the ships, it stated.
The CENTCOM called M/V SAIBABA, “a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker”, but Indian officials clarified it was a Gabon-flagged vessel. “These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17,” the CENTCOM said.
On Saturday, the Indian Navy responded to a distress call from the merchant vessel M/V Chem Pluto, which came under a suspected drone attack. The US claimed Iran was behind Saturday’s attack on M/V Chem Pluto. Citing newly released intelligence, the US said Iran was “deeply involved” in the planning of Houthi attacks and has supplied weapons to the group.
