An aerial view of the Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze following a Houthi missile attack at sea, on March 6, 2024. - Handout via Reuters
MANILA: Two Filipino seafarers were among those killed by a Houthi missile attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday (March 6), according to the Philippine government.
Another two Filipino crew members were "severely injured,” the Department of Migrant Workers said in a statement. The agency said the ship’s remaining sailors have been taken to a safe port and the government is working on their repatriation. The vessel, called the True Confidence, has been abandoned.
At least one other person was killed, according to the US military. They are the first confirmed deaths of crew members since the Houthis began attacks in mid-November in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The vessel had a crew of 20, comprising one Indian, four Vietnamese and 15 Filipino nationals. Three armed guards - two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal - were also on board, according to the BBC.
The Iran-backed group, which controls much of Yemen, hit the bulk commodities carrier around 11:30am Yemen time.
It was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthis in the last two days, the US military said, indicating how they continue to be able to assault vessels despite almost two months of airstrikes on their positions by American and British forces.
The group says its attacks are in support of Hamas in its war against Israel. They will continue, the Houthis say, until Israel pulls out of Gaza.
The Houthis said the True Confidence was "a US ship,” which its owners and the Washington said was incorrect.
Until recently, the vessel was owned by Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. A new owner took over in late February, according to the Equasis shipping registry. A representative for Oaktree declined to comment. - Bloomberg
