Houthi missiles hit a vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday starting a fire that injured a crew member just a day after seafarer died when a Greek bulker was attacked in the Red Sea.
The latest attack came on a day that the Yemeni group said it struck three vessels in the region.
US Central Command said the Iranian-backed Houthis struck the 11,400-dwt bulker Verbena (built 2008) with two anti-ship cruise missiles.
The Palau-flagged vessel managed to continue its journey despite being hit three times by missiles presumably fired from Houthi territory.
“The crew continues to fight the fire. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack,” said Central Command, which coordinates US military forces in the region.
The Verbena is linked to Poland-based Dtschart and affiliate Donbasstransitservice — a Ukrainian company that originated in Mariupol, a city now occupied by Russia. The company is now based in Lviv, Ukraine.
A company security officer reported that a blaze erupted after the ship suffered two blows at about 10:00 GMT, as it was sailing 98 nautical miles (181 km) east of Aden.
Ambrey Analytics said the vessel issued a distress call via VHF, reporting a missile had hit.
The firm said the Verbena suffered a third strike at about 16:20 GMT, causing “minor damage” to the ship.
By that time, the crew had managed to put under control the fire from the two first strikes.
“The vessel is underway and making way,” UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported late on Thursday.
Dtschart and Donbasstransitservice have been contacted for comment by email and were not reachable by phone.
The ship was transmitting a location signal at the time and was en route from Malaysia to Venice in Italy.
Central Command said the ship was carrying wood construction materials on that voyage.
Trio of strikes
Houthi armed forces spokesman Ameen Hayyan said on X on Thursday that the group targeted two other vessels in addition to the Verbena. It shot at the 75,500-dwt Seaguardian (built 1999) and another vessel called the Athina while they were in the Red Sea, according to a computer translation. The post was retweeted by Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ main military spokesman.
Earlier on Thursday, the Seaguardian reported a near-hit from a missile in the Red Sea.
The vessel tanker is controlled by Eastern Mediterranean Maritime (Eastmed) — a Greek company that has seen several of its vessels targeted by the Houthis in recent weeks.
All of the Seaguardian’s crew members are safe, and the ship continued its journey in the Red Sea, the UKMTO said.
There are several ships named Athina.
The incidents come a day after a seafarer was killed on the Greek-owned 82,000-dwt bulker Tutor (built 2022) in the Houthis first recorded sea drone attack.
As TradeWinds reported earlier on Thursday, the Tutor is receiving assistance from military vessels nearby, but it is not in command of its movements and is in danger of sinking after its engine room was submerged.
Greek vessels have been increasingly drawing the Houthis’ attention since the Yemeni rebels launched the “fourth phase” of their campaign against shipping a few weeks ago, threatening to target every ship of a company they believe has traded in Israel.
Carried out via air and sea drones, missiles, attempted boardings and one hijacking since mid-November, more than 100 confirmed Houthi strikes against vessels have resulted in the death of four seafarers and 10 Houthi fighters, the sinking of the 32,200-dwt bulker Rubymar (built 1997) and the abduction of 25 crew members on the 5,100-ceu Galaxy Leader (built 2002).
