On November 21, the Yemeni government informed that Houthi rebels attacked the terminal while the VLCC Pratika was near a loading buoy.
The incident was firstly report by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), noting that a missile or rocket was used to attack a single-point mooring at the Ash Shihr (al-Shihr) oil loading terminal on Yemen’s southern coast at 1512 hours local time.
In fact, two workers at the terminal confirmed the attack.
The name of the vessel has not been released, but it departed unharmed and no crewmembers were injured.
Two workers at the terminal confirmed the attack, while luckily crewmembers were injured.
The attack was the second in a month. Namely, a tanker was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman on November 15, causing minor damage to the hull with no injuries or spillage of the gas oil cargo, according to Eastern Pacific Shipping, manager of the tanker “Pacific Zircon”.
Earlier in October, in a similar incident, an Okeanis Eco Tankers’ very large crude carrier became the target of armed drones, as the vessel had called for loading at the Al-Dabba oil terminal in Ash Shihr, Yemen.
The company confirmed two “drone-driven explosions” in close proximity to its 2022-built Nissos Kea, informing that the ship sustained no damage in the attack and no injuries to the crew were reported.