Before Yemen
Norwegian tanker hit by Houthi rebel cruise missile – US destroyer rushes to help
A photo published in 2008 shows the USS Mason, the US warship that came to the aid of the Strinda
© Katrina Parker / US Navy Visual News Service / AFP
The Norwegian tanker Strinda was attacked while traveling between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Help came promptly.
According to US information, a Norwegian tanker is off the coast of Yemen A rocket fired by Houthi rebels was hit. The cruise missile hit the tanker “Strinda” while passing through the strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday night (local time), causing damage and a fire, said US Central Command Centcom. But there are no reports of deaths or injuries.
The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from an area in Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, Centcom said on the short message service X, formerly Twitter. Accordingly, the Norwegian-flagged “Strinda” sent out a distress call and the US warship “USS Mason” rushed to the tanker to provide assistance.
Attack on the oil route
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthi militia in Yemen has fired drones and rockets at Israel on several occasions and attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Iranian-backed rebels threatened on Saturday with further attacks on ships in the Red Sea bound for Israel if humanitarian aid does not reach the Gaza Strip. The Houthi rebels see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel.
The Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, where the Strinda was attacked, lies between Djibouti and Yemen and connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is of great importance for global maritime trade, especially for the transport of petroleum.
The approximately 144 meter long “Strinda”, which belongs to the Norwegian company Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, was on its way to the Suez Canal, which connects the north of the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, at the time of the attack.