All 25 Indian crew members safe, says Navy after Houthi drone hits MV Saibaba oil ship
The US Central Command said no injuries have been reported and that its warship destroyed four Houthi drones in the Red Sea
Indian Navy officials on Sunday (December 24) said 25 Indian crew members were onboard a Gabbon-flagged vessel MV Saibaba which came under a drone attack in the Red Sea. All the crew members are safe, the Indian Navy officials added.
Earlier, the US Central Command said the crude oil tanker, MV Saibaba, is among two vessels that came under drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Southern Red Sea.
In a statement, the US Central Command said that 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. Between 3 and 8 pm (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG 58) was patrolling in the Southern Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) and shot down four 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.
At approximately 8 pm (Sanaa time), US 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 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 Central Command said these attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17. Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepped up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Meanwhile, Indian officials said that MV Sai Baba is not an Indian-flagged vessel as is being reported in a section of media. The clarification came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) described the vessel as an Indian-flagged ship. The officials said MV Sai Baba is a Gabon-flagged vessel and it had received a certification from the Indian register of shipping. Vessels around the world can obtain the certification from registration authorities in various countries.
(With agency inputs)
