MANILA, Philippines — Four crew members and two Yemeni rescuers were killed in an attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while the U.S. military separately struck a container ship in the Gulf of Oman, marking a sharp escalation in threats to commercial shipping amid the continuing Iran war.
The Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah came under attack on Tuesday near Perim Island, Yemen, according to Yemen’s Transport Ministry and Coast Guard. Three Pakistani crew members and one Indonesian crew member were killed, while 10 others were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one member of the anti-Houthi National Resistance Forces.
Yemen’s Coast Guard said two rescuers were killed when the attackers struck again after rescue crews reached the vessel. Reuters independently identified the ship as the Tihamah using satellite imagery, archive photographs, ship-tracking data and visual information from the area. Maritime security company Ambrey also reported an attack on the vessel.
Iran-backed Houthi forces later confirmed that they had attacked a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthis said the vessel was carrying Saudi military equipment, but Reuters said that claim could not be independently verified. Saudi Arabia’s Center for International Communication did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack is particularly significant because it represents the first confirmed deaths in a Houthi strike on commercial shipping since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, according to Reuters. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency had earlier reported that a ship in the strait was hit by an unknown projectile.
The violence has already had a measurable impact on maritime traffic. Reuters, citing Kpler data, reported that an average of 32 ships a day passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last week, down from about 50 before the Houthis announced their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in July. Overall traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50% compared with the period before the earlier wave of Houthi attacks from 2023 to 2025.
The Houthis announced the maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on July 20, saying it was in response to what they described as a Saudi siege. Riyadh has denied that Yemen is under siege.
In a separate incident hundreds of kilometers away, the U.S. military said it fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Central Command said the vessel was sailing toward an Iranian port and had ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The strikes disabled the ship’s steering gear. Reuters reported that the vessel was believed to have been hit about 71 nautical miles, or 131 kilometers, off Pakistan’s coast. A separate report from UKMTO initially said the vessel had been involved in an incident with military forces, while maritime security sources said the container ship had apparently been hit by a missile.
The U.S. action was described by Central Command as the 12th vessel attacked by American forces since the blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was reimposed on July 14.
The attacks come as the broader security situation around the region’s major maritime chokepoints continues to deteriorate. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has also fallen dramatically. Reuters reported that only six ships passed through the strait on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of roughly 130 to 140 vessels a day.
The Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb are critical gateways for international trade and energy supplies. Disruptions in either waterway can force vessels to take longer routes, increase shipping and insurance costs and add pressure to global energy markets.
The International Maritime Organization has been closely monitoring the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and has called renewed attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea “indefensible.” The UN maritime agency has stressed the need to protect civilian seafarers and maintain freedom of navigation.
The latest violence also underscores the growing risks faced by crews from countries far removed from the conflict. The four crew members killed aboard the Tihamah were from Pakistan and Indonesia, highlighting how attacks in regional waters can have international consequences for commercial shipping personnel.
For the Philippines, the developments are significant because the country is one of the world’s major sources of maritime workers. Any prolonged disruption in the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman or Strait of Hormuz could affect shipping schedules, freight costs, energy markets and the safety of Filipino seafarers operating on international routes.
The attacks highlight the growing risks facing commercial shipping and international seafarers as the conflict continues to disrupt traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, two critical maritime routes linking major energy-producing regions with global markets. Reuters reported that shipping activity through both waterways has fallen sharply amid the continuing hostilities and military blockades.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
