Four crew members killed in Houthi attack on cargo ship in Red Sea

A small cargo vessel was attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, resulting in the first reported deaths from a Houthi strike on shipping since late February. The incident marks an escalation in maritime disruptions affecting global trade routes.

Four crew members—three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian—were killed in an attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, according to Yemen's transport ministry. The vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile while anchored northeast of Perim Island. If confirmed, these would be the first fatalities resulting from a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel since the conflict escalated on February 28. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have not yet claimed responsibility for the incident. The crew lost control of the ship following the attack, and three coastguard personnel were injured during a rescue attempt.

The assault comes as the Iran-backed militant group maintains a declared maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, announced in July in response to what they characterize as a Saudi siege. Riyadh disputes this characterization. The attack contributed to ongoing disruptions in one of the world's most critical shipping corridors, with traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait declining more than 50 percent since previous Houthi operations began in 2023. Weekly vessel passages have fallen to an average of 32 ships, down from 50 before the blockade announcement.

In a separate incident, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was struck by a missile off Pakistan's coast. According to maritime security sources and reporting by the Wall Street Journal, a US helicopter reportedly fired a Hellfire missile at the vessel's rudder after it allegedly attempted to evade a US blockade on Iran-linked shipping. US Central Command has not issued immediate comment on the incident. If confirmed, this would represent the 12th vessel attacked by US forces since the blockade was announced in April.

The combined effect of these maritime incidents has severely disrupted global shipping patterns. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has also declined significantly, with only six vessels recorded passing through on Monday compared to historical prewar levels of 130 to 140 daily transits.