US Army says Houthis targeted Russian oil tanker bound for China with missile attack

The US Central Command, CENTCOM, announced that the oil tanker attacked by Iranian-backed Houthis in the waters off Yemen was carrying Russian oil to China. The CENTCOM statement added that the Houthis targeted the M/T Wind, owned by a Greek company and sailing under the Panamanian flag, with an anti-ship ballistic missile on Saturday, May 18. Although there were no casualties from the attack, the ship's command room was damaged. The report further stated that the crew sent a distress signal, but they were able to restore navigation and continue their course. Earlier, the British maritime security company Ambrey reported that the tanker was struck by a missile off the coast of the city of Al-Mokha in southwestern Yemen, overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Tracking companies indicate that the M/T Wind, after loading Russian oil at the port of Novorossiysk, entered the Sea of Marmara through the Black Sea and had been heading towards Bab el-Mandeb for four days after passing through the Suez Canal. At the same time, the company Tanker Trackers reported that this tanker is part of the so-called 'Dark Fleet,' which secretly transports Venezuelan oil to China. Iran, Venezuela, and Russia are using hundreds of tankers that attempt to circumvent US sanctions and secretly sell oil by turning off their signaling systems. These tankers are referred to as the 'Dark Fleet' or 'Ghost Fleet.' Russia and China have not yet reacted to the Houthis' missile attack on the M/T Wind, but the Houthis had previously targeted a tanker carrying Russian oil to India on May 8. On April 25, CENTCOM also reported that a ballistic missile strike by the Houthis on a Chinese tanker caused a temporary fire on the vessel, which was extinguished after half an hour. The report indicated that the Houthis fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles at the Panamanian-flagged Chinese tanker Huawang Po at different times, with the fifth missile causing a fire on the vessel. Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who control the capital of Yemen and most of the country's populous areas, have recently begun attacking ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea, claiming to support the Palestinian people against Israeli attacks. Their attacks on international shipping routes in the Red Sea have disrupted global transport through the Suez Canal, forcing shipping companies to choose longer and more expensive routes around southern Africa. In one of the deadly attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea last month, three crew members of the cargo ship Tru Confidence, including two Filipinos and one Vietnamese, were killed and several others injured. This was the first time that attacks by Iranian-backed militants on ships left casualties in one of the busiest maritime routes in the world.