The Husai armed forces have claimed responsibility for the attack, which resulted in a fire on the Greek owned cargo ship True Confidence, flying the Barbados flag, about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Aden Port in Yemen.
The British Embassy stated in a statement directly responding to the statement by Houser, "At least two innocent sailors were killed in this attack. This is a tragic but unavoidable consequence of Houser's armed missile launches on international shipping. This behavior must be stopped immediately." In addition, a senior US official confirmed the deaths of the two sailors.
"True Confidence" data graph
Since November last year, the Houthi armed forces have launched frequent ship attacks in the Red Sea, claiming that this move is aimed at supporting the Palestinians during the Gaza War. The UK and the US have retaliated against this, and the confirmed death toll may further increase the pressure to take stronger military action.
According to shipping sources, after the missile hit the target, four crew members were severely burned and three went missing. The Greek operator of the attacked "True Confidence" cargo ship stated that the ship was attacked about 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden Port in Yemen when the ship caught fire and was in a drifting state. There is currently no definite information on the safety of the 20 crew members and three armed guards on board, including 15 Filipinos, 4 Vietnamese, 2 Sri Lankans, 1 Indian, and 1 Nepalese.
US Department of Defense officials revealed that after the attack, thick smoke emerged from the "True Confidence" and a lifeboat was found in nearby waters. The UK Maritime Trade Action Agency (UKMTO) received a report that an accident occurred 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden, and added that the crew had abandoned the ship.
The UK Ministry of Defence stated that "the coalition is providing support for this ship and its crew." Previously, the UK owned bulk carrier Rubymar became the first ship to sink due to a Houser armed attack. Although all crew members were safely evacuated, the incident has attracted widespread attention.
The attack by the Hussai armed forces on merchant ships forced them to detour through southern Africa, increasing transportation costs and time, resulting in a significant increase in insurance costs for voyages through the Red Sea. Although Husser claimed to only target ships with connections to the UK, the US, and Israel, shipping industry sources pointed out that in reality, all ships could become targets of attack.
The owner of the "True Confidence" ship, True Confidence Shipping, and the operator, Greek Third January Maritime, emphasized in a joint statement that the ship is not associated with the United States. However, this attack undoubtedly exacerbates the international community's concerns about the armed actions of Hussai and may prompt relevant countries to take more decisive actions to maintain maritime security.
