Houthi rebels have apparently fired at a Singaporean-owned bulk carrier after mistaking it for a US ship.
The 2012-built Singapore-flagged Supramax vessel, Propel Fortune, was hit by two anti-ballistic ship missiles around 3.55pm Yemen time on 8 March, but avoided being hit.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore told local media that the ship and its 26 crew members escaped without any damage or injuries.
Vessel-tracking data shows that Propel Fortune left Dhamra, India, on 25 February, and is heading towards the Arabian Sea.
Clarksons’ data shows that Propel Fortune is owned by Singapore-registered Propel Shipping, which is owned by an Indian entity, ACT Infraport. The latter is owned by a number of Indian nationals. Propel Fortune itself owns eight bulk carriers, including Propel Fortune.
Clarksons’ data shows that Propel Fortune was previously owned by US investment firm Oaktree Capital Management, before being sold to Propel Shipping in late 2021.
The attack mirrors that of True Confidence, a Supramax bulk carrier that was also owned by Oaktree, before being sold to Greece-based Third January Maritime in February.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea admitted to the attack in a speech broadcast on the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on 9 March, saying the armed group’s navy executed two operations.
Yahya said, “The first targeted the American ship Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden with a number of suitable naval missiles, while the second operation targeted a number of American warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden using 37 drones.”
While the Houthis have claimed they are targeting Israel-linked ships, unconnected vessels have also been hit.
Martin Kelly, senior Middle East analyst at EOS Risk Group, a maritime security practice, told the Financial Times that in targeting ships, the Houthis use open-source data that may be outdated, which could have caused vessels with no Israeli or US connections to be attacked.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
