Red Sea Update : Crew Fatalities, While Another Ship Sinks

The Red Sea crisis has reached a devastating low point this week, as a Houthi missile strike in the Gulf Of Aden has led to the first loss of life for merchant crew members during the conflict.

The Greek operated vessel ‘True Confidence’, was the target of Houthi Rebels on Wednesday morning, which led to three of it’s crew being killed.

According to US Central Command, a further four crew members were injured during the attack, three of them critically, as they abandoned the ship, which was left drifting and on fire.

A Houthi spokesperson confirmed responsibility for the attack, adding that the crew had ignored warnings ahead of the strike, which occurred around 50 nautical miles from the city of Aden.  

This followed earlier news this week, that the vessel ‘Rubymar’, which had previously been struck by two missiles on February 18th, had eventually sunk in the Gulf after days of drifting and taking on water.

The bulk carrier was reportedly carrying ammonium nitrate fertilisers, which has now sparked fears of a potential environmental disaster.

There continues to be no let up in the Houthi's resolve to target commercial shipping, which suggests it could be some time before container vessels can get back to travelling through the region.

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