On Sunday (December 24), the US Department of Defense said that the drone attack on a merchant vessel with a crew of 20 was hit by a suspected drone strike from Iran in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast.
“The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” Reuters quoted a Pentagon spokesperson as saying.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. local time and resulted in no casualties aboard the Japanese-owned vessel, according to a Pentagon statement issued on Sunday, adding that a fire was doused. The US military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues towards its destination in India,” the statement continues.
Earlier, Ambrey, a marine security firm, reported the ship was linked to Israel and was travelling from Saudi Arabia to India.
According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the incident occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval in India’s Gujarat state. The tanker sustained structural damage as a result of the attack. Ambrey stated that the incident, the first of its kind so far away from the Red Sea, occurred in a “heightened threat area” for Iranian drones. The Indian navy responded by sending aircraft and warships.
On Saturday, the US accused Iran of being “deeply involved” in Red Sea operations against commercial ships. An official spokeswoman for national security Adrienne Watson said it was “consistent with Iran’s long-term material support and encouragement of the Houthis’ destabilising actions in the region”.
Meanwhile, reports are coming that another Indian-flagged oil tanker has been under drone attack in the Red Sea. The US Central Command stated on Sunday that an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker was hit by a “one-way attack drone” in the Red Sea, however, no injuries were reported
On December 23 two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 24, 2023
Between 3 and 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG… pic.twitter.com/jcBisbXBaS
“…At approximately 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Naval Forces Central Command received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack. 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, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, 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. These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17,” the US Central Command posted on X.
Notably, there has been a recent surge of attacks on Israeli-linked vessels by Yemen-based Houthi rebels. The intensified attacks on commercial and merchant ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels could drastically surge prices of oil, and insurance premiums for ships and other goods, creating a domino effect for inflation, as warned by experts.
Following these attacks, several major oil and shipping firms have announced to either suspend or re-route the trade away from the Red Sea creating a major disruption in the maritime trade. It is important to note that this disruption poses a higher risk than the one recently faced during the 2021 Suez Canal blockade crisis.
