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Videos Show Houthi Attack on Tanker and Attempt to Explode Bomb Boat

Explosion after tanker is hit by drone boat (Houthis)

Published Oct 3, 2024 6:27 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Videos were released showing the two sides of the attack on the tanker Cordelia Moon (163,288 dwt), from the perspective of the Houthis which launched a drone boat, and the security guards aboard the vessel attempting in vain to destroy the bomb boat. The crude oil tanker, which was empty and heading north in the Red Sea to Suez, is damaged but continuing to move away from the danger.

The Houthi took responsibility for targeting the tanker which they called a British vessel saying they unleashed a barrage including eight ballistic and “winged” missiles, a drone, and finally an uncrewed surface boat. The attack on October 1 commenced while the vessel, which is registered in Panama, was approximately 64 nautical miles north of Hudaydah, Yemen.

 

 

The captain reported seeing four splashes in the water. About 30 minutes later the ship spotted a drone boat approaching on its port side. The video obtained by well-known commentator Sal Mercogliano shows the armed guard aboard firing at the boat but failing to explore it or disable it. It makes contact puncturing the number six ballast tank. Later videos obtained by Mercogliano show the wet decks from the blast and the ship apparently attempting to disperse vapors by spraying water over the side from fire hoses.

From a distance, the Houthis video shows the boat approaching and making contact. The power of the explosion is seen from the smoke and plume. 

 

 

The Cordelia Moon, managed from India, reported it was continuing its trip. Its AIS signal shows it has traveled north to a point near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The signal indicates it will continue its trip to Suez. There is a shipyard in Suez that previously performed emergency repairs on a bulker that was hit by a Houthi rocket that left a large hole in the hull above the waterline.

Releasing the video today the Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree vowed the attacks would continue until the assaults on Gaza and Lebanon stopped. The Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in a video-taped address said the group has now targeted a total of 188 vessels while also vowing to continue the attacks.

The UK Maritime Trade Operation which monitors activity in the region numbered the attacks on Tuesday on the Cordelia Moon and a bulker as the 124 and 125 incident of 2024.

Russia Strikes Cargo Ship in Ukrainian Port of Yuzhny

In this infrared video frame taken by a Russian aircraft, an Iskander missile (black streak) approaches vessel at Ukrainian port of Yuzhny

Published Oct 6, 2024 8:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

A Russian missile strike damaged a civilian vessel at the port of Yuzhny, Ukraine overnight Saturday, according to Ukrainian state media and the Russian ministry of defense. 

The attack on the ship reportedly involved an Iskander-M missile. In hazy infrared UAV footage captured at the scene, the missile is shown approaching the target, followed by a large blast. Russian state media claimed that the video showed a secondary explosion of a cargo of ammunition. 

Russia claimed that the vessel was carrying a cargo of European-origin armament for the Ukrainian military. 

The name of the vessel was not disclosed, but the head of the Odesa region, Oleg Kiper, confirmed that no crewmembers aboard the ship had been injured. It was the third Russian attack on a civilian vessel in the Black Sea region in a month (though a previous strike may well have been accidental).

In simultaneous strikes, Russian drones damaged a gas pipeline, cargo trucks and a warehouse buildings. The attack went on for hours and involved about 90 drones in multiple waves. Targets in Kyiv were also hit in the same attack. 

One warehouse security guard was injured in the UAV attack and was hospitalized.  

Russian forces have repeatedly struck Ukrainian-bound shipping, but not always intentionally, according to UK military intelligence. A September 11 strike on the bulker Aya was "almost certainly" a mistake, according to UK Defence Intelligence. The vessel was hit by an AS-4 anti-ship missile launched by a Russian bomber and was likely the victim of "poor targeting procedures from Russian pilots." The bomber was likely attempting to hit a ground target along Ukraine's coastline or on Snake Island, but ended up striking the Aya instead. It is