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Indian Navy denies US claim after MV Saibaba oil ship attacked by Houthis in Red Sea; says 25 Indians onboard
The crude oil tanker is among two vessels that came under drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Southern Red Sea.
Indian Navy officials on Sunday said 25 Indian crew members are onboard a Gabbon-flagged vessel MV Saibaba which suffered a drone attack in the Red Sea. All the crew members are safe, the Indian Navy officials added.
The Indian Navy also clarified that it wasn't an India-flagged vessel, as claimed by the US earlier, but one carrying a Gabones flag.
Earlier on Sunday, the US military had claimed that an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker was among two vessels that came under drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Southern Red Sea.
The US Central Command said in a statement that 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.
"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 Houthi militants. No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles," the US Central Command posted on X.
At the same time, between 3 and 8 pm (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG 58) was patrolling the Southern Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG).
The USS LABOON successfully intercepted and "shot down unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that were inbound to the USS LABOON. There were no injuries or damage in this incident", CENTCOM added in its post.
Later, at approximately 8 pm (Sanaa time), US Naval Forces Central Command received distress reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea indicating 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," the US CENTCOM claimed in its post earlier.
The US Central Command underscored the gravity of the situation, emphasising that these attacks pose a threat to the safety and security of international maritime traffic.
"These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17," the post added.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepped up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
