A cargo ship’s crew successfully thwarted an explosive drone boat attack in a recent Red Sea encounter, by detonating the remote-controlled attack boat with rifle fire.
Video footage from the incident showed the small drone boat, known as an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) trailing the cargo ship. Several members of the ship’s crew, or possibly a third party or possibly an onboard security detail, could then be heard and scene loading and firing what appeared to be FAL rifles over the railing of the ship.
The rifle fire became more rapid as the USV approached the side of the ship. The rounds closed in on their mark as the USV came within a few yards of the vessel. Eventually, a round appeared to find its mark and set off an explosive component aboard the vessel, causing it to detonate just feet away from the cargo ship.
While the USV appeared to inflict little damage against the cargo ship itself, the detonation still threw shrapnel toward the ship’s crew. As the shrapnel sprayed across the ship’s deck, one crew member could be heard exclaiming “blyat,” a curse word common in Ukrainian and Russian use similar to “shit” or “fuck.”
The incident seen on video footage matches a pattern of attacks claimed by the Houthis, a rebel faction in Yemen that has battled for control of the country in recent years. The Houthis have claimed numerous attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea in recent months, including attacks using explosive-laden drone boats.
The details shown in the new attack interception footage align with those of an attack reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a maritime monitoring office organized under the U.K.’s Royal Navy. UKMTO reported a USV “exploded in close proximity” to a Liberian-flagged container ship called MV Pumba on July 20, but reported no major damage or injuries.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare’e also claimed the Yemeni faction was responsible for attacking the Pumba on July 20. He said the Houthis used missile, aerial drone, and naval capabilities to attack the ship but—unlike UKMTO—reported a “direct hit” on the Pumba.
The company that owns the Pumba, SeaLead, has confirmed the container ship sustained an attack on July 20. In its July 22 press statement, the company said that all crew members were safe and reported the vessel sustained “no relevant damage” from the attack.
FreeBase News has contacted SeaLead for further comment about the footage now circulating online, but the shipping line has not offered a response.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)—the military component in charge of U.S. operations throughout the Middle East and its surrounding waterways—has reported intercepting and destroying dozens of USVs targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months. CENTCOM has attributed these attacks to the Houthis and the Yemeni faction has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks.
While U.S. forces have stopped some of the drone and missile attacks targeting commercial shipping, it’s evident that they cannot intercept every attack. The Houthis have damaged multiple vessels with missiles and airborne drones.
The Houthis claimed credit on June 12 for a USV attack that crippled the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MV Tutor. That ship sank below the waves six days later, on June 18.
Earlier this month, the Houthis again claimed credit for a USV attack that damaged another Liberia-flagged oil tanker, the MT Chios Lion.
This article was originally published by FreeBase News and is reprinted with permission.
