MV Saibaba Oil Ship Attack In Red Sea: Indian Navy Denies US Claim, Says 'Not An India-Flagged Vessel'
MV Saibaba oil ship, a crude oil tanker, was one among the vessels that suffered attack from Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea. Refuting the US claim that it was an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker that came under attack in the Red Sea, the Indian Navy clarified on Sunday that it was not an Indian-flagged vessel but was carrying a Gabbon flag.
However, it was a Gabon-flagged vessel with 25 Indians on board and all the 25 Indian crew members onboard the Gabbon-flagged vessel MV Saibaba, which came under attack in the Red Sea by the Houthis, were safe, according to the explanation given by the Indian Navy.
US military on Sunday had claimed that the attacked oil tanker was an Indian-flagged vessel. In its statement on X (formerly Twitter), the US central command (US CENTCOM) said: “The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported. The USS LABOON (DDG 58) responded to the distress calls from these attacks.”
On December 23 two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles.
Between 3 and 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG… pic.twitter.com/jcBisbXBaS
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 24, 2023
Talking about the scale and seriousness of the attack from the Houthis, the post added that the attack represents the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17.
As the threat from the Houthis becomes more visible in the Red Sea, with an increasing number of attacks, international maritime safety has become a question mark.
