Incident Alert  – Vessel Struck by a Projectile in the Southern Red Sea

Incident Details

The UKMTO reported an incident 57nm West of Hodiedah, Yemen. The master was aware of a small craft on his port side. The master stated that a projectile was fired at his vessel from the port side which passed over the deck, causing slight damage to the bridge windows. The vessel and crew are safe.

Comment

Reports received state the vessel involved in this incident was the UK-owned bulk carrier MORNING TIDE which was transiting southeast at the time of the incident. The small craft is likely to be linked to the Yemen Houthis who have used such craft to approach and intimidate commercial ships in the past. The ship was most likely attacked by an RPG or other shoulder-held missile system.

Analysis

It is highly likely the vessel involved in this incident was chosen by the Houthi because of its links to the UK, who along with the US have been conducting attacks against Houthi missile launching infrastructure in Yemen. It does not appear that the ship was carrying an Armed Security Team (AST) on this occasion which potentially, may have been able to prevent the attacking craft from getting within range of the vessel. Ship owners and operators are reminded of the importance of adopting vessel protection measures laid down in BMP5.