2 Houthi Missiles Hit Another Greek Bulk Carrier

A Star Bulk vessel became the latest Houthi target today. The Star Iris was shot at twice in the space of 20 minutes by missiles while transiting the Bab al Mandab strait in a southeast direction.

Houthi Missile Incident

A 20-year-old panamax bulk carrier belonging to NASDAQ-listed Star Bulk became the latest Houthi target today. The Star Iris was shot at twice in the space of 20 minutes by missiles while transiting the Bab al Mandab strait in a southeast direction.

AIS data from MarineTraffic shows the ship departed from Vila do Conde port in Brazil on January 12 and was heading to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini in Iran.

Maritime security specialist Ambrey reported the Panamax sustained physical damage on its starboard side. No crew were reported injured.

“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the American ship Star Iris in the Red Sea with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the strikes were accurate and direct,”
Houthis

The attack is the 51st on merchant ships since the start of November when the Houthis from Yemen decided to side with the Palestinians in their ongoing war with Israel.

The strike, which took place early this morning, was the first reported attack for six days in the dangerous Red Sea area.

On February 6, another Star Bulk vessel, the Star Nasia Kamsarmax, suffered minor damage when three missiles were fired at it.

Two weeks ago, Arsenio Dominguez, the new secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), called for a “multi-faceted” solution to the ongoing Red Sea shipping crisis.

“The solution has to be multi-faceted: enhanced ship security; a cessation of hostile activity which targets innocent seafarers; and regional and international efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the problem,”
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

As a consequence of the attacks in the Red Sea, there is a great diminution of traffic in the southern part of the area. Specifically, 90% of vessels have disappeared compared to last year’s number. This is because ships avoid crossing the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea for their safety, and they are forced to reroute all the way around the Cape of Good Hope. On a typical trip from Shanghai to Rotterdam this reroute results in twice the distance. Hence, during the last couple of months, the delivery costs have almost doubled due to the Houthis creating this bottleneck and affecting world trade.

Houthi Missile Incident
A new incident of Houthi missile attack on the Red Sea has been reported by international agencies. The bulk carrier vessel M/V ZOGRAFIA has been hit by a Houthi missile 76 nautical miles outside the port of Saleef. The prescribed vessel is reported to be under the ownership of the Greek shipping company Vulcanus Technical Maritime Enterprises.

According to the top reporting agencies, the Houthi missile has hit the Greek interests vessel, causing the deck to burst into flames.

The dry bulk carrier, M/V ZOGRAFIA with DWT 56,894 MT, built in 2010 has suffered small scale damages while there are no injuries within the crew from the Houthi missile attack.

According to the british consultant Ambrey, the vessel sails under the Maltese flag and it was hit 76 nautical miles outside the port of Saleef from the Houthi missile.

The vessel is owned by the Greek shipping company Vulcanus Technical Maritime Enterprises, operating in Piraeus. It should be noted that initially the specialized reporting agency Trade Winds claimed about Eagle Bulk Carriers, of Mr. Coustas.

According to Vulcanus Technical Maritime Enterprises, the ship’s crew of 24 people is intact and in good health. ZOGRAFIA had departed from Vietnam with direction to Israel when the incident took place and now is heading to Suez where the damages will be evaluated accordingly.