Yemen’s Houthis launched a series of assaults on the Delta Blue, a 158,000-dwt suezmax tanker owned by Greece’s Delta Tankers, in the Red Sea.
These attacks involved grenades, missiles, and both air and sea drones, marking the rebels’ inaugural use of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).
The UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) reported that the first attack occurred within 24 hours, with an RPG detonating near the vessel approximately 45 nautical miles south of Al Mukha, Yemen.
No injuries or damage to the ship was reported, though the RPG was launched from a small boat nearby.
Subsequently, the ship’s captain reported another missile attack around 22:45 GMT that also exploded near the ship.
Early on Friday, a small boat accompanied by an unmanned sea drone suspiciously approached the Delta Blue, which was equipped with a private armed security team and was concealing its AIS data.
The security team engaged the drone as it rapidly advanced towards the ship, ultimately neutralizing it.
A fourth missile attack near the vessel was reported later on Friday morning. Despite these repeated hostilities, the ship and its crew remained unharmed and continued their journey toward the next port. The Delta Blue was transporting Iraqi oil from Basrah to a Greek refinery at Agioi Theodoroi.
In a related incident, the Houthis claimed to have targeted another Greek-owned ship, the Contship Ono, with ballistic missiles and drones, although no direct impacts were reported.
The Houthi group has frequently targeted ships they associate with Israeli interests or those that frequent Israeli ports, although their activities had diminished in the weeks preceding these incidents.
