Bulker Encounters Swarm of Unmanned Boats off Yemen
In a concerning new development for the security of merchant shipping in the Red Sea, a bulker has reported an encounter with a large swarm of suspicious small craft off the coast of Mokha, Yemen - some of which appeared to be unmanned.
For at least the last seven years, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been developing unmanned waterborne improvised explosive devices (WBIEDs), with help from the military forces of Iran. The Houthis have used these bomb boats with varying degrees of success, first against Saudi maritime interests and more recently against international merchant shipping. A thinly-disguised "fishing boat" struck and disabled the bulker Tutor in the Red Sea on June 12, killing one crewmember and flooding the engine room. The group returned with another bomb boat to inflict further damage, and Tutor ultimately sank (after additional Houthi intervention). The group also claimed a strike on the bulker Seajoy on June 27.
In these previous encounters, Houthi remotely-controlled bomb boats have attacked one by one. On Sunday, the bulker Summer Lady informed UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) that she had been approached by a flotilla of suspicious small craft, composed of a mixture of "fast boats and smaller kayak-type boats." Multiple vessels in the group appeared to be uncrewed, a sign of potential suicide-drone capability.
The master of Summer Lady reported that these suspicious watercraft remained near the vessel for an hour before departing the area. The bulker was unharmed, and it headed for its next port of call.
Later in the day, U.S. Central Command announced that American forces destroyed three unmanned surface vessels in the Red Sea. CENTCOM's announcement did not specify whether these unmanned boats were related to the Summer Lady encounter, but said that the targets "presented an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region."
On Sunday, a Houthi spokesman released a video showing the first glimpse of the group's operating tactics for remotely-controlled boats, below. In the demonstration, a manned speedboat with crewmembers maneuvers aggressively between a series of buoys (time marker 1:30). At a predetermined location, the operators jump off the stern, and the boat continues to maneuver on its "own," with remote guidance.
Houthis Continue Attacks, Including Five Missiles at One Ship
The Houthis are asserting a broad array of attacks conducted on a range of ships in both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, including a barrage at one vessel and targeting a Maersk vessel. Spokesperson Yahya Saree asserted all the attacks were for support of Israel or calling in Israeli ports while saying that Maersk, is “one of the most supportive companies” for Israel.
Most of the attacks were uncorroborated by the U.S. or UK, which monitor the activities as part of their defense operations.
The UK Maritime Trade Organizations however did receive one report from an unnamed vessel in the Red Sea. The master reported that five missiles landed near the vessel while they were in a position 150 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen. Despite the missiles landing in close proximity to the vessel, the report said there was no damage or injuries and the ship was proceeding.
The Houthis claimed attacks on two vessels in the Red Sea in their latest announcement. One the Delonix, a 20,600 dwt product carrier registered in Liberia they called an “American ship.” The ship is managed by Merman Maritime of Greece and bound from the Suez Canal to China. The other vessel in the Red Sea was identified as a bulk carrier Ioannes, which the Houthis said was targeted “by a number of uncrewed surface boats.”
The other two ships that were identified today were both in the Mediterranean near the northern entrance to the Suez Canal. The Johannes Maersk is a smaller, 3,000 TEU container ship registered in Denmark. The other vessel is the Waler (7,279 dwt), a Turkish-owned and managed product tanker. The vessel registered in Panama shows it is traveling from Turkey to the Suez, but the Houthis contended it was “on its way to the port of Haifa.”
Although they have now asserted multiple attacks on vessels in the Mediterranean, none have been confirmed. They claimed today to have fired cruise missiles at the two vessels in the Mediterranean.
During today’s rally, the leader of the Houthis reiterated the threat against shipping and specifically singled out the announcement that the U.S. would be sending a replacement aircraft carrier (USS Theodore Roosevelt) to the region. He said they were not afraid and the carrier would become an immediate target when it entered the zone.
Today’s reported barrage came after several other reports of possible ships being targeted this week but overall less reports from the U.S. and UK. In the past 48 hours, CENTCOM said it destroyed one aerial drone and took out another radar site as it continues to attempt to diminish the capabilities of the Houthis. Late on Friday, CENTCOM added that U.S. forces had destroyed seven aerial drones and one ground control station vehicle. EUNAVFOR Aspides also highlighted that the Dutch HNLMS Karel Doorman and Italian Virginio Fasan were both actively patrolling and protecting merchant ships in the area.
At the same time, there are unconfirmed media reports that while Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman was meeting with Chinese officials this week he asked for their support with the Houthis. Reported suggested the Saudis might be seeking Chinese help to halt the attacks on ships heading to and departing from Saudi ports.
Houthis Hit Another Merchant Ship With a Bomb Boat
Another commercial vessel has been hit by one or more Houthi suicide drones in the Red Sea, according to the Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office and multiple maritime security consultancies.
According to UKMTO, a vessel transiting the Red Sea was attacked by a waterborne improvised explosive device at 0645 GMT on Thursday morning. The incident occurred about 80 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, an area of high activity for malicious Houthi operations.
The vessel and the crew were reported to be safe, and the ship is under way to its next port of call. Western military forces are investigating the circumstances of the attack.
In a statement, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree identified the target vessel as the Greek-owned, Malta-flagged Panamax bulker Seajoy. He said that Houthi forces targeted the ship with multiple missiles, drones and an uncrewed surface boat, leading to a "direct and accurate hit." He claimed that the vessel was targeted because it called at a port in Israel, a violation of the Yemeni group's attempted embargo on Israeli maritime commerce.
Seajoy's last received AIS position was in the Strait of Malacca on June 12, headed westbound. Her last declared destination was Durban, South Africa, and her AIS record shows no signs of a port call in Israel in the last 12 months, according to data from Pole Star.
Houthi WBIEDs - remotely-controlled bomb boats - are a potent threat to shipping in the Red Sea. A similar device, carefully disguised as a small fishing vessel, struck and sank the bulker Tutor earlier this month. One crewmember was killed in the attack, and the rest of the crew abandoned ship. A crewmember on the bridge captured a video of the drone boat as it approached, as well as the aftermath of the explosion (below).
Last weekend, U.S. forces identified and destroyed three WBIEDs in the Red Sea, suggesting a higher pace of activity for this class of Houthi devices than previously seen.
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