Gabon-flagged vessel with 25 Indians on board suffers drone attack in Red Sea: Navy

NEW DELHI: A crude oil tanker, with 25 Indian crew members on board, suffered a drone attack in the Red Sea.

According to the US military, the attack drone was fired by Huthi militants. Upon being hit, the crude oil tanker sent out a distress call to a US warship in the area.

The Gabon-owned tanker MV Saibaba reported no injuries from the strike, the US Central Command said in a social media post. Indian Navy officials too confirmed that the 25 Indians on board are safe.



Earlier today, the US Central Command claimed that of the two warships that came under fire from Houthis, one was India-flagged. However, the Indian Navy issued a statement clarifying that the vessel is Gabon-flagged and that it had received a certification from the Indian register of shipping.

"The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, Gabon-owned M/V SAIBABA reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported. The USS LABOON (DDG 58) responded to the distress calls from these attacks," it added in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The incident marks the 15th attack on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17, CENTCOM said in its statement.

The attack comes a day after another chemical tanker was attacked by a drone off the coast of India. According to the Pentagon, the attack drone was fired from Iran. It's the first time the Pentagon openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel-Hamas war.

MV Chem Pluto ship flew under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity, the Pentagon added. The ship is owned by a Japanese company. MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member, was secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) after it caught fire due to the drone attack.




Ambrey, a maritime security firm, said the 'chemical/products tanker ... was Israel-affiliated'. The merchant vessel reportedly commenced its voyage from the UAE on December 19 and was bound for New Mangalore port with an arrival date of December 25.

Houthi forces in Yemen have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks as revenge against Israel, including seizing a boat last month in a raid.



The Red Sea attacks on shipping since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa.

The US and other naval forces operate in the Red Sea region to defend commercial shipping, but the new task force is expected to ramp up security.

- With agency inputs
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