Three die in first fatal Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping

● Two victims identified as Greek-owned vessel burns off coast of Aden

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, US Central Command (Centcom) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world’s busiest trade lanes.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.

In an earlier message on X, Britain’s embassy wrote: “At least two innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping. “They must stop.”

The Houthis have been attacking ships since November in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

Britain and the US have been launching retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, and the confirmation of fatalities could lead to pressure for stronger military action.

Centcom said the Houthi strike also injured at least four crew members and caused “significant damage” to the ship.

Earlier, a shipping source said four mariners had been severely burnt and three were missing after the attack.

The Greek operators of the True Confidence said the vessel was drifting and on fire.

They said no information was available about the status of the 20 crew and three armed guards on board, who included 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, two Sri Lankans, an Indian and a Nepali national.

Yesterday, two of the victims were identified as Filipino seafarers by the Philippines’ ministry for migrant workers.

It said two other Filipinos were severely injured and called for “continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and address the causes of the conflict in the Middle East”.

A US defence official said smoke was seen coming from the True Confidence.

The official, who also declined to be identified, said a lifeboat had been seen in the water near the ship.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it received a report of an incident 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden, adding the vessel had been abandoned and was “no longer under command”.

“Coalition forces are supporting the vessel and the crew,” UKMTO said.

Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation , the leading seafarers union, called for urgent action to protect its members.

“We have consistently warned the international community and the maritime industry about the escalating risks faced by seafarers in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.

“Today ... we see those warnings tragically confirmed.”

Earlier this week, the UKowned Rubymar became the first ship to sink from a Houthi strike after floating for two weeks with severe damage.

While the militia has said it would attack vessels with links to the UK, the US and Israel, shipping industry sources say all ships could be at risk.

The True Confidence is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, both companies said in a joint statement.

They said the ship had no link to the US. —