The End of Military Sea Transportation Link between America, Europe, and Asia: Sea Drones Used To Attack Vessels

Radar doesn't see the sea drones.

"Crew members on a Greek-owned coal vessel were forced to abandon ship after Yemen's Houthi rebels launched an attack using a remote-controlled sea drone, the U.S. military said.

It appeared to be the first time the group has successfully used such a device, marking a way for the Iran-backed group to evade U.S.-led efforts to thwart missiles and aerial drones it has been using to attack vessels in the Red Sea, some analysts said.

The crew of a Ukrainian-owned vessel also was forced to abandon ship on Saturday after it was hit by Houthi missiles. The U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, said it destroyed several seaborne explosive devices and an aerial drone launched by the Houthis, as well as onshore radars used to target maritime vessels.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel began its assault on Hamas in Gaza, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have lobbed missiles, drones and other weapons at commercial shipping and warships nearly daily. A U.S.-led Naval coalition has destroyed most projectiles targeting maritime traffic. They also have struck launch sites in Yemen.

The potential loss of two vessels in a matter of days is "marking a significant increase in effectiveness" for the Houthis, British security firm Ambrey said in a note to clients. It said this was the first attack where the Yemeni group successfully used a sea drone instead of missiles and aerial drones. The hit caused the engine room to flood, it said.

The Ukrainian-owned Verbena, which was loaded with Malaysian timber, was abandoned on Saturday after its crew couldn't control fires that were started by Houthi missile strikes two days earlier, Centcom said. Meanwhile, the Tutor, the Greek-owned coal ship, is slowly taking on water after a separate attack by the Iran-backed group, Centcom said.

One crew member was severely injured on the Verbena. A Philippine crew member on the Tutor is still missing.

"This situation cannot go on," the International Maritime Organization's secretary-general, Arsenio Dominguez, said Friday. Evalend Shipping and Donbasstransitservice, the owners of the Tutor and the Verbena respectively, didn't return requests for comment. Only a British-owned ship carrying 20,000 tons of fertilizer has sunk since the conflict began."" [1]

1. World News: Sea Drones Used To Attack Vessels. Faucon, Benoit.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 17 June 2024: A.8.