The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Tuesday morning that the oil tanker “Amjad,” flying the Saudi flag, was hit in a “Houthi attack” in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.
CENTCOM stated in a statement published on the platform “X”: “On the morning of September 2, the Houthis, supported by Iran, attacked two crude oil tankers, the ship (MV Blue Lagoon 1) flying the Panamanian flag and managed by Greece, and the ship (MV Amjad) flying the Saudi flag and owned and operated by them, with two ballistic missiles and a drone, resulting in both ships being hit.”
The statement added: “Both ships are loaded with crude oil. The ship (MV Amjad) carries about two million barrels of oil, which is nearly double the amount onboard the Greek ship (MV Delta Sunion), which was targeted by the Houthis on August 21. These reckless terrorist acts committed by the Houthis continue to destabilize regional and global trade, as well as endanger the lives of civilian sailors and marine ecosystems.”
CENTCOM concluded its statement by affirming its continued cooperation with international partners and allies to protect trade and mitigate potential environmental impacts despite Houthi actions.
The Yemeni movement “Ansar Allah” (the Houthis) announced on Monday evening that it had “carried out a high-quality military operation targeting the ship ‘Blue Lagoon 1’ in the Red Sea.”
Sources told “Reuters” that the tankers “Amjad,” flying the Saudi flag, and “Blue Lagoon 1,” flying the Panamanian flag, were sailing close to each other when they were hit, but both tankers were able to continue their journeys without major damage or injuries to their crews.
One source noted that it is unlikely that the tanker “Amjad” was directly targeted.
This came after a body affiliated with the British Navy reported that a commercial ship was hit by two unknown projectiles about 70 nautical miles northwest of Salif near the Yemeni coast, where “UKMTO” stated that the captain of the commercial ship confirmed its being hit, noting that efforts are currently being made to control the damage that occurred.
The captain also reported a third explosion near the ship, indicating that there were no injuries among the crew on board the ship and that it continues its voyage to the next planned port.
Hours after the first incident, a body affiliated with the British Navy reported another incident occurring 58 nautical miles west of the city of Hodeidah in Yemen, where the captain confirmed no injuries among the crew and that the ship continues its voyage to the next port. Meanwhile, maritime authorities have commenced an investigation into the matter.
Since November last year, “Ansar Allah” has been conducting naval attacks that it says target ships linked to Israel and heading to its ports, in support of Palestinian factions confronting the Israeli army in Gaza.
