The crew of an Indian-flagged ship were rescued after a fiery attack in the Red Sea, as spreading violence targets shipping across the Middle East.
The mechanized vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya was struck by a projectile and sank in the Red Sea off Yemen’s western coast on August 4, according to British security monitor UKMTO. All 14 crew members – 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni – were rescued by Yemeni Coast Guard and naval units and taken to the port of Mokha for medical evaluation.
The Oliya came under attack approximately 13 nautical miles south of Hodeidah, a Houthi-controlled port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Yemeni government-aligned forces described the attack as involving an explosives-laden boat that struck the vessel, causing it to capsize and sink.
The attack marked the fourth such incident since the start of August as the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran spreads to the wider region.
No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the strike, but Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Iran-backed Houthis, citing use of an explosive-laden boat. The Houthis have conducted repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023, initially stating they were targeting vessels with Israeli links in connection with the Gaza war, but in practice expanding to broader maritime traffic.
U.S. maritime security advisories in 2026 continue to warn of elevated risks in the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden, and adjacent waters due to Houthi operations, including prior sinkings of commercial vessels in July 2025 that killed four seafarers.
Analysts have warned that a single successful strike on a high-value commercial vessel could trigger renewed U.S. or allied airstrikes inside Yemen, further destabilizing the maritime environment.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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