Houthi militias attacked the Tihamah cargo ship, linked to Yemen, killing six crew members after its departure from Mokha Port on August 11.
The small cargo ship Tihamah, linked to the Yemeni government, was reportedly hit in attacks attributed to Houthi militias after departing from Yemen's Mokha Port on August 11. Initial reports indicated that three crew members lost their lives in the attack, while later reports raised the death toll to six.
The 63-meter-long deck cargo ship, said to have a capacity of 520 dwt and built in China in 2024, is registered under the Tanzanian flag in databases and is owned by an Egyptian company. The Yemeni Ministry of Transport described the ship as a Yemeni vessel, while the Iran-based Mehr news agency claimed that the ship was connected to Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni officials asserted that the ship was carrying food and that the attack represented a new phase in the tensions between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Conversely, some unverified reports alleged that the ship was transporting military supplies for government forces.
A fire broke out in the middle of the ship.
It was reported that the attack occurred while the ship was located in waters near the southern tip of Yemen, close to the Red Sea and the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. A fire broke out following an impact from munitions that struck the midsection of the vessel.
Initial statements indicated that two of the three crew members who lost their lives were Pakistani, while one was Yemeni. Later reports indicated that three injured crew members also succumbed to their injuries, raising the total death toll to six.
It was claimed that Yemeni Coast Guard teams went to the area to assist the ship and crew, but that the teams also came under fire. Some reports alleged that two separate missile or armed attacks were carried out following the assault on the ship. It was reported that there were casualties among the Coast Guard personnel as well.
Mokha Port was also targeted.
It was reported that Houthi militias carried out a series of attacks around Mokha Port on Sunday and Monday. According to Yemeni media, the first attack, which took place during the daytime on Sunday, involved the use of approximately 25 ballistic missiles, drones, and an explosive-laden boat. It was reported that seven civilians were killed and many others were injured in the attack.
In the second attack carried out on Monday night, it was claimed that four to six drones were intercepted, and two ballistic missiles fell into the sea. The attacks reportedly resulted in numerous civilian and military personnel being killed or injured.
The attack on Tihamah is considered the first incident resulting in casualties following the Houthi militias' resumption of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for the Tihamah attack. The group had previously stated that it only targeted vessels connected to Saudi Arabia and announced that it had carried out attacks on at least four tankers in the Red Sea.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
