A SeaLead Shipping containership came under fire from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Monday, the latest vessel to be targeted in the area.
Anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired at the 4,944 teu Pinocchio, chartered from Singapore tonnage provider OM Maritime. The Liberia-flagged vessel escaped unscathed and is continuing its journey.
The ship had begun its voyage from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah port on Saturday.
SeaLead, which has continued expanding its Red Sea and Persian Gulf services amid the crisis, said: “All crew members are accounted for and unharmed, and there was no damage to the Pinocchio and cargo.
“We are grateful to the crew for their courage and adherence to safety protocols during this event.
“SeaLead is committed to ensuring the highest standards of maritime safety and security and we are in constant communication with relevant authorities and our industry partners to assess and mitigate any risks to our operations.
“SeaLead would like to confirm that none of its operated vessels passing through the Red Sea/Suez Canal are owned by any US or UK entity. In addition, SeaLead can confirm that none of its vessels are owned wholly and/or partially by Israeli individuals or entities and do not serve any Israel ports.”
The US Central Command (Centcom) responded to the attack with six ‘self-defence’ strikes between 2.50pm and 11.30pm Yemen time on Monday, destroying an unmanned under-water vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of yesterday, Houthi rebels fired a close-range ballistic missile toward US warship USS Laboon in the Red Sea. The missile did not hit the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported. Centcom and a coalition vessel later destroyed two unmanned aerial systems launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.