A Houthi missile attack has claimed the lives of three crew members on board a Barbados-flagged cargo ship off southern Yemen.

The men were working on the bulk carrier True Confidence when it was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden, causing the first deaths on merchant vessels since the terror group began targetting the Red Sea trade route several months ago.

Four others were injured in the attack, three of them critically, when it was hit around 50 nautical miles (93km) south-west of the Yemeni city of Aden.

The ship was abandoned and was seen drifting with a fire on board shortly after the strike by the Iranian-backed Houthis, who maintain they are acting out of support for Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The US-led naval taskforce in the region has managed to destroy huge numbers of these missiles and drones, but say there are simply too many to knock them all out.

There are concerns that this could trigger an escalation in the troubles in a region already on high-alert and amid mounting tension due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Multi-national crew

The True Confidence had a crew of 20, comprising 15 Filipino nationals, four Vietnamese and one Indian. Two armed guards from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal were also on board.

The Houthi group tried to justify their action in a statement released shortly after the attack which suggested that the vessel’s crew had ignored warnings from their naval forces. They said the ship had been hailed over VHF radio and told to change course.

American connection claim

They went on to claim that it was an American ship, but that is incorrect and currently the vessel had “no connection with any US entity”. It is/was registered to an address in Liberia, and operated by Third January Maritime Ltd in Greece.

It had, however, previously been owned by US-based Oaktree Capital Management and was sailing to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from Lianyungang in China, tracking data showed, and was carrying a cargo of steel products and trucks.

Explosion and smoke

Nearby boats reported a loud bang and a large plume of smoke. The UKMTO reported that the True Confidence was hit and suffered damage, and that naval vessels from a US-led international maritime coalition went to its aid.

Condemnation of reckless act

A US State Department spokesperson said Washington would continue to hold the Houthis accountable for their attacks and called on governments around the world to do the same.

UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: “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,” he posted on social media.

Near misses

There has been increased activity throughout the week, with the US shooting down a ballistic missile and three drones launched from Yemen towards the destroyer USS Carney.

Then the Indian navy rushed to the aid of the container ship MSC Sky II, which its operator said had been hit by a missile that caused a small fire. Thankfully no injuries were suffered in either incident.

Belize flagged ship first to sink

Last weekend, a Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated cargo ship, Rubymar, carrying a cargo of 21 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, sank in the Red Sea.

It had been hit by missiles fired by Houthis and had begun to take on water two weeks earlier, and all the crew were safely taken off the carrier.

The ship became the first to have been sunk since the attacks began in November 2023.

The flurry of Huthi strikes has caused several major shipping firms to suspend passage through the Red Sea, which usually carries around 12 percent of global trade.