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Yemen’s Houthis have attacked a Norwegian tanker in the strategically important Bab-el-Mandeb strait, in the latest sign that the Iran-backed group is extending its targeting of ships in the critical trade route.
The Strinda tanker was hit by an anti-ship cruise missile while passing through the strait, US central command said on Tuesday. The French defence ministry also said a French frigate “intercepted and destroyed” a drone threatening the ship.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sare’e claimed responsibility for the attack in a televised statement reported by Reuters, saying the tanker had refused to respond to warnings.
The Norwegian owner of the tanker told the Financial Times that the ship was bound for Italy with a cargo of biofuel feedstock but that it had been “tentatively nominated” to pick up a cargo from Israel’s Ashdod port next month.
Geir Belsnes, chief executive of J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi, said no one was injured and the crew managed to extinguish the fire.
The incident is the latest example of shipowners from around the world being dragged into an intensifying conflict in the Middle East, following a series of attacks on Israel-linked and other vessels by the Houthis since Hamas’s October 7 assaults triggered the war with Israel.
The assaults in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important corridors for global trade, have fuelled fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict could disrupt the world economy. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 0.2 per cent to $76.16, with the impact of the threat to shipping limited by broader market concerns of oversupply.
The Houthis, which control Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, and most of the country’s north, previously said they were attacking ships linked to Israel but on Saturday the group warned they would start targeting any ships heading to Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, according to Reuters.
The threat in the Middle East now “encompasses significantly more vessels”, said Daniel Mueller, an analyst at Ambrey, a maritime security company.
The assaults are part of a broader wave of attacks launched by Iran-backed militant groups across the Middle East since war between Hamas and Israel erupted, including from Iraqi militias and Lebanese militant movement Hizbollah.
The US has dispatched two carrier strike groups to the region since October 7 to support its significant presence. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that Washington was in talks with allies over a further maritime task force to ensure “safe passage of ships in the Red Sea”.
Shipowners have called for increased military protection to ward off the threat. “You can’t defend yourselves against missiles,” Belsnes said.
Severe drought has already restricted traffic through the Panama Canal, another vital corridor for shipping, and increased disruption through the Red Sea could have serious implications for world trade.
AP Møller-Maersk, the world’s second-largest container ship owner, last week announced surcharges of up to $100 for all containers headed to Israel, citing rising insurance premiums, in an early sign of how the incidents could drive up the cost of goods.