
Yemeni coast guard forces rescued all 14 crew members of an Indian-flagged cargo vessel after it sank in the Red Sea following an attack near the country’s coast, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The MSV Faize Noore Oliya was struck by a projectile south of the port city of Al-Hodeidah, according to Yemeni and Indian authorities. The Yemeni coast guard evacuated the sailors and transported them to the port of Mokha. The crew included 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni, India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said in a statement posted on X .
Sonowal described the incident as an “unprovoked attack” and said he had instructed the Directorate General of Maritime Administration to coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the safety of Indian seafarers in the region and assist the rescued crew. India’s foreign ministry condemned the strike, calling it “deeply worrisome” and urging an end to attacks on commercial shipping in the area. “The targeting of commercial shipping in the region must end and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest,” the ministry said .
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government accused the Iran-aligned Houthi administration of carrying out the attack using an explosives-laden boat, according to the state-run Saba news agency. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, did not immediately respond to the allegation. The group has previously claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, citing a maritime blockade imposed on Saudi Arabia in July in retaliation for a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa’s international airport and a prolonged blockade of Yemen .
The Indian embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is “closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with Yemeni authorities for the safety and security of the crew,” the foreign ministry stated. India also expressed gratitude to Yemeni authorities for their assistance in the rescue operation .
The attack is the latest in a series targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, where maritime traffic has faced increasing threats amid escalating regional tensions. Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Gulf nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, have rerouted oil exports through the Red Sea, a route that has grown more hazardous following the Houthi-imposed blockade .
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2 further sources not geolocated