First three casualties reported in Houthi attack on Red Sea merchant vessel

Three sailors aboard the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged merchant vessel True Confidence were killed in a Houthi missile attack on Wednesday, the 6th of March, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, reporting the first deaths since the Iranian-backed Yemeni group began attacking ships in one of the world’s busiest trade routes in the Red Sea, reports Reuters.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the ship on fire about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.
In response to the Houthi claim, the British embassy wrote on X: “At least two innocent sailors have died. This is the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international ships. They must be stopped.”
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

CENTCOM said the Houthi strike also injured at least four crew members

and caused “significant damage” to the ship. A shipping source said that four sailors were severely burnt and three were missing after the attack, and a lifeboat was seen in the water near the ship.
The Greek operators of the True Confidence reported that the vessel was drifting and burning, without giving details of the status of the 20 crew members and three armed guards, including persons from the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal.
The Philippines’ Ministry of migrant workers identified two of the victims as Filipino sailors, while urging diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and address the root causes of the conflict in the Middle East.
Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), a prominent seafarers’ union, called for immediate action to protect the organisation’s members, expressing concern about the increasing risks faced by sailors in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Four days ago, the UK-owned bulk carrier Rubymar became the first ship to sink as a result of a Houthi missile attack after it had been floating for two weeks with serious damage. All crew members were safely evacuated from the ship.
Although the militants have announced that they will attack ships linked to the UK, the US and Israel, the True Confidence, owned by a company registered in Liberia and operated by a company registered in Greece, both companies said in a joint statement that the ship had no connection to the US.
Also read: Trump’s rival Haley to end campaign, paving way for Trump-Biden re-match
Follow us on Facebook and X!