A Houthi missile strike has resulted in the deaths of two crew members aboard the Barbados-flagged cargo ship, True Confidence, off the southern coast of Yemen. The attack, which occurred at approximately 09:30 GMT in the Gulf of Aden, marks the first time the Houthi group’s assaults on merchant vessels have claimed lives.
True Confidence, left abandoned and adrift with a fire onboard, faced the missile strike about 50 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni city of Aden, according to statements from ship managers. The vessel had been hailed by a group identifying itself as the “Yemeni navy,” instructing a change of course, as reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency. Subsequently, nearby vessels witnessed a loud explosion and a significant plume of smoke.
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, justified their attack by claiming that the True Confidence’s crew had disregarded warnings from Houthi naval forces. The British embassy in Yemen condemned the incident, labeling it the “sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping” and emphasizing the urgency to halt such attacks.
Apart from the tragic loss of two lives, six crew members sustained injuries, as confirmed by a US official. The vessel, owned by True Confidence Shipping SA and operated by Third January Maritime Ltd in Greece, is currently receiving support from naval vessels of a US-led international maritime coalition, according to the UKMTO.
Rescue and salvage operations are underway, as reported by the EU’s Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa (MSCHOA). While the Houthi group claimed the True Confidence to be an “American ship,” ship managers clarified that it has no current connection with any US entity. The vessel’s ownership history reveals previous ties to US-based Oaktree Capital Management.
As the maritime community awaits further developments, the incident highlights growing concerns about the safety of international shipping in the region.
