Four crew members were killed on Tuesday after a small cargo vessel came under attack in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemeni authorities said. Three of those killed were Pakistani nationals and one was Indonesian. The crew lost control of the vessel, while three Yemeni military personnel were injured during the rescue operation.
According to reports, the vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile. The incident occurred near Perim Island while the ship was anchored. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Separately, sources reported that the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was hit by a missile off the coast of Pakistan. According to The Wall Street Journal, a U.S. helicopter may have fired a Hellfire missile after the vessel attempted to evade a blockade targeting ships linked to Iran. U.S. Central Command has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait continues to decline amid the attacks. According to Kpler, an average of 32 vessels passed through the strait each day last week, compared with 50 before the Houthi blockade was introduced. Only six vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, compared with a pre-war average of around 130–140 vessels.
Read also: First Passenger Tests EH216-S Pilotless Air Taxi in Astana
