Yemen rebels claim attack on Norway-owned ship in Red Sea

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Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said Monday they had attacked two "Israeli-linked" vessels in the Red Sea, including a Norwegian-owned ship that denied any link to Israel.

In a statement, the rebels said they had carried out a "military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity".

They identified them as the Swan Atlantic and the MSC Clara, saying they were targeted after refusing to respond to calls.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have launched a flurry of drone and missile attacks on vessels entering the Red Sea, aimed at pressuring Israel over its devastating war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Five major shipping firms, including two of the world's largest, have said they are rerouting their vessels away from the Red Sea.

On Monday, British oil giant BP became the latest to suspend transit.

In the statement, the Huthis vowed to "continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports... from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas" until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.

But the Swan Atlantic's owner, Norway's Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement that the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.

It said the vessel has "no Israeli link" and was managed by a Singaporian firm.

It added there were no injuries among the Indian crew and the vessel sustained only limited damage.

"The crew and the ship are now being assisted by the US Navy and will be brought to safety under protection by naval forces," it said.

Monday's attack took place as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin visited Bahrain, home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, as part of a Middle East tour that will also take him to Qatar.

In Manama, he was to discuss "US efforts to convene multilateral coalitions to respond to aggression at sea that threatens shipping and the global economy," a Pentagon statement said at the weekend.

On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones in the Red Sea launched from rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military said.

And the British government said one of its destroyers had also brought down a suspected attack drone in the area.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said that neutral Oman had launched mediation efforts to safeguard shipping using the waterway.

"Under the sponsorship of our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, communication and discussion continue with a number of international parties regarding operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea," he said on X, formerly Twitter.

The Gaza war broke out when its rulers Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people and kidnapping some 250, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Gaza's health ministry says Israel's military response has killed more than 19,450 people, mostly women and children.

U.S. and Britain Say Their Navies Shot Down 15 Attack Drones Over the Red Sea.

A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread.

U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems" launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command tweeted.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.

Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security."

“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he said in a statement.

HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France and other countries.

Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.

Houthi rebels said they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday toward the port city of Eilat in southern Israel. The announcement came hours after Egypt’s state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a “flying object” off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.

Israeli-linked vessels also have been targeted, but the threat to trade has grown as container ships and oil tankers flagged to countries like Norway and Liberia have been attacked or drawn missile fire while traversing the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. A U.S. warship shot down three drones during the assault, the U.S. military said.

French container shipping line CMA CGM Group said Saturday it had ordered all its vessels scheduled to pass through the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”

On Friday Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, also told all its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea to stop their journeys after a missile attack on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship. German-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd said it was pausing all its container ship traffic through the Red Sea until Monday.

BP suspends shipments through Red Sea after attacks

Oil and natural gas company BP on Monday became the latest company to suspend shipments through the Red Sea following attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on various vessels.

BP said it “decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea,” which includes shipments of oil, liquid natural gas and other energy, The Associated Press reported. The company said the decision, described as a “precautionary pause,” was under review, but it sought to prioritize the safety of its workers.

The Hill reached out to London-based BP for further comment.

The Houthis in recent weeks escalated attacks on Israeli-linked vessels in a maritime campaign to stop Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks in Gaza amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

The most recent Houthis attacks last week, however, hit or nearly missed vessels that don’t have clear ties to Israel, the news wire reported.

BP’s decision comes after four of the five world’s largest container shipping companies — A.P. Moller-Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Llyod and CMA CGM — halted or rerouted their movement in the Red Sea in the wake of increased attacks.

Hapag-Lloyd was operating the Al Jarash vessel last week when Houthis attacked it, the AP said last week. A Houthi spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahoo Saree, claimed responsibility for the attack, vowing to stop ships from going toward Israeli ports in the Red Sea “until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need.”

MSC Palatium III, a Liberian-flagged ship, also came under attack last week and caught fire.

Instead of traveling along the major trade route, ships will likely go around the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa, adding days to their trips, the AP reported.

The pause in shipments is likely to prompt delays, longer transit times, greater fuel costs, along with the need for more ships, Simon Heaney, senior manager of container research for Drewry, told AP. Such disruptions in the global supply chain could also drive up consumer prices.

Oil prices continued to rise Monday, in part due to the suspended shipments, per Reuters. Brent Crude — a European benchmark used for global market purchases — went up 2.6 percent to about $78.56 a barrel on Monday.

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