Officials have confirmed that the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship has been attacked, resulting in fatalities. The True Confidence cargo ship was hit by a missile around 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden, Yemen, in an attack claimed by Houthi forces. The ship is currently adrift with an ongoing fire onboard, and the status of the 20 crew members and three armed guards is unknown.
According to a shipping source, three sailors are missing, and four are badly burned. Two US officials have confirmed that there are fatalities as a result of the attack. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that the crew has abandoned the vessel, which is no longer under their command.
The Houthi forces in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they targeted the cargo ship with missiles after the crew ignored warning messages from Yemeni naval forces. The attacks by the Houthis on international commercial shipping have caused disruptions and forced ships to reroute to avoid the dangerous area.
The True Confidence is owned by True Confidence Shipping and operated by Third January Maritime. Despite previous ownership by Oaktree Capital Management, the ship has no current link to the US. The Houthi forces have continued to launch significant attacks, including targeting the USS Carney, a US warship involved in the campaign against the rebels.
The US military responded to the attack on the Carney by launching airstrikes to destroy the Houthi’s weapons. The Houthi military spokesperson stated that the attacks will continue until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted.