Sri Lankan Injured in Houthi Missile Strike on Cargo Ship

COLOMBO (News 1st); According to the Sri Lanka Navy, a Sri Lankan crew member aboard the cargo ship that came under attack by Houthi rebels has sustained burn injuries.

Navy spokesperson Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya confirmed that the entire ship’s crew, which includes the two Sri Lankans rescued by the Indian Navy, has been safely transported to Djibouti for further assistance.

The True Confidence merchant ship, which was sailing from China to Jeddah, was attacked by a Houthi Missile Strike around 11.30 am Yemen time, yesterday.

The attack also caused a fire in the bridge of the Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence.

The attack on True Confidence occurred when the bulk carrier was in the Gulf of Aden, about 50 nautical miles south-west of the city of Aden, according to its owners.

The US military’s Central Command reported “three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition” as well as “significant damage to the ship”.

Foreign media reported there were 23 crew onboard the ship, and four of them suffered serious burns.

The vessel was manned by a crew of 20, comprising one Indian, four Vietnamese and 15 Filipino nationals. 

Three armed guards - two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal - were also on board.

The Indian Navy's INS Kolkata, a destroyer deployed in the region as part of a US-led naval taskforce, arrived at the scene and rescued crew members using a helicopter and boats.

Foreign media reported that the Houthi rebels had issued advance warnings to the True Confidence ship to leave the area.

The Houthi rebels have said that they attacked the vessel because it disregared the warnings and continued to sail ahead.