In a devastating attack, three crew members have been killed and several others injured after a Houthi missile struck the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden. The incident, which occurred at approximately 11:30 GMT on Wednesday, marks the first fatalities among merchant sailors since the Iran-backed Houthi group began launching strikes against ships in waters off Yemen last year.
According to US officials, the True Confidence had been abandoned and was drifting with a fire on board after the strike, which took place about 50 nautical miles (93km) south-west of the Yemeni city of Aden. The vessel, carrying a crew of 20 comprising one Indian, four Vietnamese, 15 Filipino nationals, and three armed guards from Sri Lanka and Nepal, had been hailed over VHF radio by a group calling itself the "Yemeni navy" and told to change course before the attack.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that the True Confidence's crew had ignored warnings from their naval forces. In a statement, the group said the attack was in support of the Palestinians in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the death toll, posting on social media, "These reckless attacks by the Houthis have disrupted global trade and taken the lives of international seafarers." The British embassy in Yemen also condemned the attack, stating, "At least two innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping. They must stop."
The True Confidence, owned by True Confidence Shipping SA and operated by Third January Maritime Ltd, was carrying a cargo of steel products and trucks from Lianyungang, China, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when it was attacked. The vessel had no current connection with any US entity, according to a spokesman for the ship's owners and managers.
The attack has drawn strong condemnation from both the US and the UK, with US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller calling on governments around the world to hold the Houthis accountable for their actions. "The Houthis have continued to launch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well-being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea and now they have unfortunately and tragically killed innocent civilians," he said.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron echoed these sentiments, stating, "We condemn the Houthis' reckless and indiscriminate attacks on global shipping and demand they stop. We will continue to stand up for freedom of navigation and back our words with actions."
The incident comes amid escalating tensions in the region, with the Houthis launching sustained drone and missile attacks against shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea over the past four months. The US-led naval taskforce in the region has been attempting to shoot down as many of these missiles and drones as possible, but the sheer volume of attacks has made it difficult to destroy every single one.
The Houthi attacks have led several shipping firms and oil companies to suspend or redirect voyages from the key Yemen-adjacent route, which accounts for about 12% of global seaborne transit. The intensifying disruption has also affected submarine cable infrastructure, with four out of 15 critical cables in the Red Sea being cut earlier this week, affecting 25% of traffic.
As the international community grapples with the growing threat posed by the Houthi attacks, calls for increased retaliation and expanded targets inside Yemen are likely to grow. However, such actions risk further escalation in an already tense region, with the humanitarian situation in Gaza adding to the complexity of the situation.
The US and UK have acknowledged the need for better intelligence about the Houthis' military assets and are drawing up plans to help train local naval forces to assist in controlling Yemen's territorial waters. The Aden government, meanwhile, remains convinced that the Houthis will not end their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait, even if the Israeli war on Gaza ceases.
