Houthis Step Up Attacks After Denying Iran’s Statement Last Week of Pause

Several vessels have come under attack from the Houthis after the militant group denied last week a statement from Iran that there would be a pause to salvage the burning Greek tanker Sounion. The Houthis have vowed not to interrupt the salvage effort, but said they would continue targeting other ships.

Today’s primary target appears to be a Greek-owned, Panama-registered shuttle tanker transiting south in the Red Sea. The vessel, Blue Lagoon I (148,533 dwt) reported being hit by two projectiles which were later confirmed to be missiles. The tanker was displaying a message on its AIS saying it was carrying a Russian-origin cargo and coming from the Russian terminal of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea.

The vessel was proceeding but the UK Maritime Trade Operations said that “damage control” was underway. The tanker was approximately 70 nautical miles northwest of Saleef, Yemen. Later it was reported that there was a third explosion near the vessel. UKMTO was informed there are no causalities. The speculation is that the vessel was targeted because its managers, Sea Trade Marine of Greece, have sent other vessels to Israel.

Following the targeting of the Blue Lagoon I, a Saudi-owned and registered tanker, Amjad (298,886 dwt) northbound in the Red Sea reported it was hit by an aerial drone. The crude oil tanker which is loaded with as much as two million barrels of oil is managed by Bahri and was transmitting its AIS signal. It was near the Blue Lagoon I prompting speculation that it was not the target for the attack. The vessel reported it was proceeding.

Late on Friday, the Houthis also resumed attacks on a Liberian-registered, Greek-managed containership. The vessel, Groton, was first attacked on August 3 sustaining damage and diverting to Djibouti. Shortly after departing Djibouti while the vessel was 130 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen two missiles exploded near the vessel late on Friday night, August 29. Unconfirmed reports are that the vessel might have again experienced minor damage.

The Houthis took responsibility for Friday’s attack on the Groton highlighting that they were continuing to target the same ship because of the shipping company’s business with Israel. The Houthis late on Monday also highlighted the attack on the Blue Lagoon I as part of their campaign against companies working with Israel. There was no mention of the drone strike on the Saudi vessel.

U.S. Central Command also issued a series of updates on new intercepts. On August 31, they said an aerial drone and an uncrewed surface boat had been destroyed. The previous day they said two aerial drones had been intercepted and the day before that an aerial drone and a missile. These were the first intercepts announced by CENTCOM since August 23.

This latest wave comes as unconfirmed reports from Greece said the salvage efforts of the Sounion commenced midday on Monday, September 2. The reports indicated three warships from the EUNAVFOR Aspides operation are positioning to protect the Sounion and two tugs were due to arrive at the burning tanker later in the day on Monday. The tow is expected to proceed slowly with the speculation being that they will go to Djibouti, but for security reasons, few details are being released.