Vietnamese, Filipino sailors killed on ship attacked by Houthi

The above information was reported by ITV News and BBC, citing the operator of the ship True Confidence.

"One Vietnamese crew member and two Filipinos were killed," the owner of the True Confidence ship said on March 7. "Two other Filipino crew members were seriously injured. All crew members on board have been taken to Djibouti."

The Philippine Immigration Bureau also confirmed the number of its citizens killed and injured, according to ITV News.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on March 6 that a missile attack by Houthi forces killed three sailors on the True Confidence and injured four, three of them critically. The True Confidence cargo ship is owned by Liberia (previously, there was information that the Barbados-flagged ship was owned by Greece).

Image of the ship M/V True Confidence after being attacked by Houthi. Photo: CENTCOM

The ship's operator, True Confidence, said the ship was adrift and on fire after the attack. The crew of 20 included one Indian, 15 Filipinos and four Vietnamese. Three armed guards - two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal - were also on board at the time of the attack. The ship was carrying steel from China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack, which was about 50 nautical miles off the Yemeni port of Aden.

Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out numerous drone and missile attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb Strait.

Houthi attacks on the route, which accounts for about 12% of international shipping traffic, have increased since the conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking cargo ships as long as Israel carries out its military campaign against Palestinians in Gaza.

However, this is the first time casualties have been recorded.

"The ship was targeted after its crew ignored warnings. The precise strike caused a fire to break out on the True Confidence," a Houthi spokesman said in a statement.

The US and UK have repeatedly launched counter-attack campaigns against Houthi positions with radars, anti-ship missiles, suicide boats and UAVs, but have not been able to stop this force from continuing to attack cargo ships in the Red Sea.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thuy-thu-viet-nam-philippines-thiet-mang-tren-tau-bi-houthi-tan-cong-196240307194114741.htm