Two More Commercial Ships Targeted in the Red Sea Near Yemen

The British maritime operations company announced in a statement that a ship was targeted by two projectiles 130 kilometers from the port of Salif, Yemen. This company, linked to the British Navy, also confirmed another explosion near this ship, stating that rescue and repair operations are underway. According to the statement, no one was killed in this attack, and the ship continues on its course. Official details about the name and cargo of this ship have not yet been released; however, based on the timing of the attack and the geographical location provided by the maritime operations company, it seems that the affected ship is an oil tanker named 'Blue Lagoon' flying the Panamanian flag. This oil tanker is heading south in the Red Sea. Its origin is the port of 'Ust-Luga' in Russia in the Baltic Sea, but its destination has not been announced. This tanker has entered Indian ports several times in recent months, a country that, despite international sanctions against Moscow, still receives over 40% of its oil needs from Russia. The Greek company managing this tanker has not yet commented on the potential damage to the ship. Meanwhile, the private maritime security company 'Ambrey' also reports that a commercial ship was targeted near the port of Hudaydah, Yemen. According to this British private company, this incident occurred about 85 kilometers west of Hudaydah, during which a projectile struck the commercial ship. Ambrey has not yet released details about this vessel but has confirmed that no one was harmed. The rescue operation for the burning oil tanker attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea 'will begin soon.' The two attacks on Monday, September 12, occurred close to where another oil tanker named 'Sunion,' carrying one million barrels of crude oil, was attacked by the Houthis 12 days ago. Nearly two weeks after that incident, efforts to control the fire and prevent oil leakage into the sea are still ongoing. The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for today's attacks; however, it usually takes hours or even days for this group to comment on its attacks on international vessels. Houthi militants, allied with the Islamic Republic, have attacked over 80 ships passing through waters near Yemen for about ten months, claiming to support the Palestinians in Gaza. So far, one ship has been seized, two vessels have sunk, and at least four people have been killed in these attacks. The Houthis claim they are targeting vessels associated with Israel, the US, and the UK in an effort to stop Israeli operations against the extremist group Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US and many Western countries. However, many of the ships targeted by them have had no connection to these three countries and, in some cases, were even heading to Iran. The US Navy and coalition countries, alongside EU maritime patrols, have intercepted and destroyed many of the missiles and drones fired by the Houthis and have targeted their launch platforms in some instances; these actions have reduced the intensity of Houthi attacks but have not been able to stop them completely.