Three Crew Killed in Suspected Houthi Attack in Red Sea; Second Vessel Hit in Gulf of Oman

Three crew members were killed in a suspected attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, according to Yemeni sources. The incident, if confirmed, would represent the first fatalities from Houthi strikes on commercial shipping since their campaign began, signaling a dangerous escalation in regional maritime security risks.

Red Sea Attack Details

The vessel targeted was the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah. The attack resulted in the deaths of two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian, Yemeni sources told Reuters. The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the strike.

Following the attack, which involved an unknown projectile, the crew lost control of the vessel. British maritime security firm Ambrey reported the incident occurred while the ship was anchored northeast of Perim Island. According to risk management group Vanguard, Yemeni coastguard forces who approached the disabled ship also came under fire.

Separate Incident Near Pakistan

In a separate event, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Oman, approximately 71 nautical miles off the coast of Pakistan, maritime security sources said. The Wall Street Journal reported the vessel was attacked by a U.S. helicopter firing a Hellfire missile after it attempted to evade a U.S. blockade on Iran-linked shipping.

U.S. Central Command has not commented on the incident. If confirmed, this would be the 12th vessel attacked by U.S. forces since the blockade was announced in April. The advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) noted the ship had recently called at ports in Mumbai and Malaysia, where other Iran-linked vessels have been observed.

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Impact on Regional Shipping

These attacks exacerbate the severe disruption to global trade routes. Shipping traffic through the vital Bab el-Mandeb strait has already fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks in 2023-25.

Data from Kpler shows the impact of a Houthi blockade announced last month:

• The daily average of ships passing through the strait fell to 32 last week.
• This is down from an average of 50 ships per day before the blockade was declared.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is also heavily affected, with vessel transits falling to a fraction of pre-conflict levels, further straining supply chains and raising security concerns for maritime operators.