Six people were killed and 10 others injured after the cargo vessel Tihamah was attacked near Yemen's Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, 11 August, according to Yemeni authorities and maritime security sources.
Four crew members died — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — while two Yemeni rescuers were killed when a second strike hit as emergency teams were responding, Yemen's Coast Guard said. Seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and another member of the National Resistance Forces were injured.
The attack has been attributed to the Houthis by Yemeni officials, maritime security sources and the group itself. The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the group had targeted a ship carrying Saudi military equipment, but it did not identify the vessel by name. There was no independent evidence that the Tihamah was carrying military equipment.
Reuters independently identified the damaged vessel as the Tihamah by comparing images of its deck and mast with archive photographs, while ship-tracking data placed it near Murad, on Yemen's western coast, on 11 August. The British maritime security company Ambrey also reported an attack on the vessel.
A small Tanzanian-flagged vessel
The Tihamah carries IMO number 1031329 and sails under the Tanzanian flag. Maritime databases list it as about 63 metres long and built in 2024. VesselFinder classifies it as a deck cargo ship, while other databases use different classifications for the same IMO number, reflecting inconsistencies in commercial vessel databases.
Reuters reported that LSEG data lists Egyptian companies among the vessel's owners and managers. A separate maritime database lists Blue Sea For Management Marine as its commercial manager and Thubab For Marine Services as its registered owner.
The vessel had departed the Yemeni government-held port of Al-Mokha on Saturday, according to Ambrey as cited by Reuters. It was later reported to be anchored north-east of Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, near the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
What happened during the attack
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a ship had been struck by an unknown projectile in the Bab el-Mandeb area on Tuesday, with casualties reported. The initial alert did not identify the vessel or the attacker.
Yemeni authorities later linked the attack to the Houthis and reported that the crew lost control of the vessel after it was struck. The Coast Guard said rescuers came under another attack while attempting to assist the crew, killing two members of the National Resistance Forces.
The Houthis subsequently acknowledged carrying out an attack in the strait, saying the target was a vessel transporting Saudi military equipment. The group did not name the Tihamah, and its claim about the cargo has not been independently verified.
The International Maritime Organization condemned renewed attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in July, warning that they endanger seafarers and threaten international trade and supply chains.
Why the attack matters
The strike came as shipping companies were gradually restoring some services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal after years of avoiding the route because of Houthi attacks.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have resumed selected services through the Red Sea under their Gemini Cooperation, while stressing that further changes depend on security conditions. Maersk said in July that its AE15 service would return to the Trans-Suez route and add a call at Jeddah, with contingency plans to revert to the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope if security deteriorates.
The European Union's EUNAVFOR ASPIDES mission has also maintained a naval presence in the region. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in July that the operation had protected more than 670 merchant vessels and saved 128 seafarers since its launch in February 2024.
Despite those measures, shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea has fallen sharply. Reuters reported that an average of 32 ships a day passed through the strait during the week before the attack, compared with about 50 before the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in July.
The Tihamah attack therefore comes as commercial operators attempt a cautious return to one of the world's key shipping corridors, while the latest deaths show that the security risks around Bab el-Mandeb remain active.
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