Houthis launch Red Sea strike as seized ship draws crowd
Missiles were launched from areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels at a cargo ship carrying jet fuel in the Red Sea yesterday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Ardmore Encounter, which was reportedly heading to Rotterdam from the Indian port of Mangalore, was not damaged during the attempted attack.
The incident took place near Bab Al Mandeb, a strait often threatened by the Houthis, through which about 10 per cent of global seaborne oil is moved.
The Houthis have recently attacked several other ships in the Red Sea, claiming they were linked to Israel.
The Galaxy Leader, a Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier seized by the group last month, has become a local tourist attraction.
The Houthis have held performances and “cultural activities in solidarity with the Palestinian people” on the Galaxy Leader, under the banner of “Art in the Face of the Zionist Entity”, the rebel group’s Saba news agency reported on Monday.
The Galaxy Leader is operated by Japanese company NYK Line, but belongs to Ray Car Carriers, registered in the Isle of Man and owned by Israeli
billionaire shipping mogul Abraham “Rami” Ungar.
It is believed that 25 members of the vessel’s crew – from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania – are being held hostage by the Houthis.
They have been allowed “modest contact” with their families while various countries push for their release, the ship’s owner said last week.
During the event, held by the Houthi-run Organisation for Theatre and Cinema, a play expressing Yemenis’ anger at the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip also called for a boycott of American and Israeli products, Saba reported.
A resident of Hodeidah told
The National that the ship was docked at Al Salif, about an hour from the city.
“There are regular fishing boats that transport people to the ship for 500 riyals, which roughly means one dollar. Visits are for men only,” said the resident.
Student Mohammad, 23, said he had visited the Galaxy Leader with a group of his friends 10 days after the ship was captured. He was surprised by the number of people waiting to board the vessel.
Since the ship was seized, Al Salif, usually empty, was “suddenly full of street vendors and businessmen”, he added. Fisherman Saber, 38, said the
Houthis were using 10 of their own boats to take people to the Galaxy Leader free of charge.
“Three other boats belonging to fishermen from Al Salif are designated for urgent needs and for VIPs, but these are paid,” he said.
“It takes 10 minutes to go from the port to the ship. There are stairs designated for the disabled and elderly, but their use is very limited. Families are allowed to take a tour around the ship, but not on board.”
Visitors are coming from the capital, Sanaa, as well as Hajjah and Ibb, to see the ship, he said.
The Houthis said attacks on ships will continue until Israel withdraws troops from Gaza.