“Houthi Rebels Target Shipping in Red Sea, Andromeda Star Tanker Damaged”
Recent days have seen a surge in attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen, with the Aframax tanker Andromeda Star bearing the brunt. The Panama-flagged vessel, weighing 115,605 deadweight tons (dwt), reported “minor damage” following a missile strike on April 26th, as confirmed by US Central Command.
Yahya Sare’e, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, stated that the British oil tanker was targeted with multiple naval missiles and suffered a direct hit. Despite Houthi claims of British ownership, the ship is registered under Seychelles ownership by Algae Marine since November 1st, 2023, as per the Equasis database.
In the same assault on April 26th, anti-ship ballistic missiles narrowly missed the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Suezmax tanker Maisha. Fortunately, no injuries or further damage were reported by US, coalition, or commercial vessels at the time, according to US Centcom.
On April 28th, US Centcom announced the successful interception of five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the Red Sea. It was determined that these UAVs posed an immediate threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels operating in the region.
