A 20-year-old panamax bulk carrier belonging to NASDAQ-listed Star Bulk
became the latest Houthi target today 12 Feb.
The Star Iris was shot at twice in the
space of 20 minutes by missiles while transiting the Bab al Mandab strait in a
southeast direction.
AIS data from
MarineTraffic shows the ship departed from Vila do Conde port in Brazil on
January 12 and was heading to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini in Iran.
Maritime security specialists Ambrey report the
panamax sustained physical damage on its starboard side. No crew were reported
injured.
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the American
ship Star Iris in the Red Sea with a number of suitable
naval missiles, and the strikes were accurate and direct,” read a statement
issued today by the Houthis.
The attack is the 51st
on merchant ships since the start of November when the Houthis from Yemen
decided to side with the Palestinians in their ongoing war with Israel.
The strike, which took
place early this morning, was the first reported attack for six days in the
dangerous Red Sea area.
On February 6, another Star Bulk vessel, the Star Nasia kamsarmax, suffered minor damage when
three missiles were fired at it.
Speaking with Splash two
weeks ago, Arsenio Dominguez, the new
secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), called
for a “multi-faceted” solution to the ongoing
Red Sea shipping crisis.