Sponsored By
Red Sea Crisis

The latest news and commentary on how the conflict in the Middle East is affecting the global maritime industry and shipping markets.

US Navy assists tanker after missile strike

Hansa Tankers vessel was passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb when it was hit by the missile. The vessel reported damage and a fire on board the vessel but no casualties at this time.

Nick Savvides, Europe correspondent

December 12, 2023

2 Min Read
us navy warship
Photo: Adobe Stock

An American navy warship is assisting the 20,000dwt tanker Strinda following what the US authorities report was an anti-ship missile attack on the tanker which has caused a fire on the vessel.

The 2006-built tanker, operated by the Norwegian company Hansa Tankers was hit by the missile at around 9pm GMT, with the vessel reporting damage and a fire on board the vessel but no casualties at this time.

A US Centcom statement said the missile was launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen while passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb.” The USS Mason responded to the mayday call from the Strinda and was assisting the vessels crew to deal with the fire.

A Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the group targeted the ship because it was “loaded with oil” bound for Israel. According to Saree the crew had refused to respond to warnings from the Houthis who, he added, would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip.

AIS data from VesselsValue shows the vessel currently heading northwest, towards Suez at 10kns with reports that armed guards are on board.

Vice Admiral (Retd) Duncan Potts Royal Navy Universal Defence and Security Solutions Director and Former Commander of Counter Piracy Operations off Somalia, and Maritime Security Commander within the Gulf, told Seatrade Maritime News that vessels are particularly vulnerable in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Related:12 container ships divert from Red Sea over terror threat

Persistent attacks on shipping in the southern Red Sea are a strategic threat to global shipping and supply chains. Particularly in the Straits of Bab el-Mandeb, flanked by Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea, shipping lanes and traffic density are predictable, which eases targeting and attack options.”

At their narrowest the straits are only 10-15 miles wide, which acts as a classic shipping chokepoint, explained Potts.

“Roughly $1 trillion worth of trade in approximately 23,000 ships passes through the Straits each year, which acts as the prime logistics umbilical between the Far East, Gulf and Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and Europe. Consequently, these attacks have the potential to become far more of a global strategic economic threat than simply a regional geopolitical one.”

Moreover, Potts said that with some US trade now diverted from the Panama Canal heading to the US east coast via the Suez Canal the risks to trade are even greater.

About the Author

Nick Savvides

Europe correspondent

Experienced journalist working online, in monthly magazines and daily news coverage. Nick Savvides began his journalistic career working as a freelance from his flat in central London, and has since worked in Athens, while also writing for some major publications including The Observer, The European, Daily Express and Thomson Reuters. 

Most recently Nick joined The Loadstar as the publication’s news editor to develop the profile of the publication, increase its readership and to build a team that will market, sell and report on supply chain issues and container shipping news. 

This was a similar brief to his time at ci-online, the online publication for Containerisation International and Container News. During his time at ci-online Nich developed a team of freelancers and full-time employees increasing its readership substantially. He then moved to International Freighting Weekly, a sister publication, IFW also focused on container shipping, rail and trucking and ports. Both publications were published by Informa. 

Following his spell at Informa Nick joined Reed’s chemical reporting team, ICIS, as the chemical tanker reporter. While at ICIS he also reported on the chemical industry and spent some time on the oil & gas desk. 

Nick has also worked for a time at Lloyd’s Register, which has an energy division, and his role was writing their technical magazine, before again becoming a journalist at The Naval Architect for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. After eight successful years at RINA, he joined Fairplay, which published a fortnightly magazine and daily news on the website.

Nick's time at Fairplay saw him win the Seahorse Club Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year 2018 awards.

After Fairplay closed, Nick joined an online US start-up called FreightWaves. 

Get the latest maritime news, analysis and more delivered to your inbox
Join 12,000+ members of the maritime community

You May Also Like