Sudden! A "Chinese merchant ship" was attacked in the Red Sea!
On Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command, the Houthi armed forces launched a ballistic missile into the Red Sea on March 23 and hit the M/V Huang, a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker owned and operated by China. Pu).
01 "Chinese merchant ship" attacked by missile in Red Sea
The U.S. Central Command issued a statement on the social media platform explosion) before a fifth missile hit the ship.
After being attacked, the tanker M.V. Huang Pu sent a distress signal but did not request assistance. Fortunately, the fire on the ship was quickly extinguished in just 30 minutes, causing no casualties.
Marinetraffic website ship tracking data showed the ship sailed from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden, heading to its next port of call, which was New Mangalore in India, according to maritime safety agency Ambrey.
Moreover, it can be seen on the international shipping information website that the ship has indicated the crew's relationship with China (INDIA ALL CREW CHINA) in the destination information section - all Chinese crew members on the ship.
Due to minor damage, the ship resumed sailing and continued moving forward. The British Maritime Trade Organization said the attack occurred 23 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Moka. No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Houthis control much of Yemen's Red Sea coast and have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on ships sailing in the area over the past four months. The Houthis said the actions were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
A statement from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "The Houthis attacked the oil tanker Huangpu, although they had previously stated that they would not attack Chinese ships."
02 Houthis: Chinese and Russian ships will not be targeted
According to reports from Bloomberg and other media on the 21st, several sources revealed that the Houthi armed forces in Yemen have told China and Russia that ships from the two countries can sail in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden without becoming targets of attacks by the organization.
According to the report, the above-mentioned sources said that an understanding was reached after talks between Chinese and Russian diplomats in Oman and Mohammed Abdul Salam, one of the top political figures of the Houthi armed forces.
Regarding the topic of "Chinese and Russian ships passing through the Red Sea", the Houthi armed forces in Yemen have made similar statements. According to a TASS news agency report in January this year, Mohammed al-Bakiti, a member of the Political Bureau of the Houthi armed forces, said in an interview with Russian media that ships from Russia, China and other countries can safely pass through the Red Sea and will not be threatened when sailing in this sea area.
In view of this, the analysis of British maritime experts can potentially interpret that the Houthi armed missile attack on the tanker "Huangpu" may have been an "accidental attack" due to information lag.
Because the registration information of the "Huangpu" oil tanker has recently changed.
The British maritime safety agency Ambrey said that the ship was registered by the British company Union Maritime Ltd in 2019, but its name and operator and other details were changed in February 2024. The tanker was taken over by a Chinese company just two months ago.
It is understood that another ship belonging to Union Maritime Ltd has also been attacked by the Houthis before. Therefore, the Houthi armed forces may not have understood the ship registration change information, mistook the "Huangpu" as a British ship and launched an attack.
Regarding the news that Chinese and Russian ships will not be attacked, Bloomberg commented that although the Houthi armed forces have stated that Chinese and Russian ships will not be targeted, the relevant talks highlight the "world powers' response to the organization's (last year) in mid-November" "We are increasingly disturbed by missile and drone attacks in and around the southern Red Sea."
The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking Israeli, British and American ships, as well as ships heading to Israeli ports, making the security situation for Red Sea shipping increasingly severe. In response to the threat, the United States leads what it calls an international coalition aimed at convoying the Red Sea and has been attacking Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January.
Although the United States, the European Union and others have taken successive actions, the attacks by the Houthi armed forces have not stopped.
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