Indian-Flagged Vessel Struck and Sunk by Projectile Off Yemen Coast on August 5; All 14 Seafarers Safely Evacuated to Al Mukha Port

An Indian-flagged vessel was struck and sunk by a projectile off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, August 5, with all 14 seafarers safely brought to Al Mukha port, Indian authorities said. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said it received a report of an incident involving a loud explosion near a tanker 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, at 2:30 p.m. UTC. Crew members are all accounted for and safe, no environmental impact was reported, and authorities are investigating. It is unclear whether this is the same vessel the Houthis claimed to have attacked. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they targeted a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, claiming they struck the vessel with a ballistic missile off Yanbu and forced it to turn back. The Houthi armed forces further said they are closely monitoring the movements of Saudi oil tankers and warned that they would not allow such vessels to sail through maritime routes from either the southern Red Sea or northern approaches until what they described as the legitimate demands of the Yemeni people are met and the blockade on Yemen is lifted. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities regarding the claim. Separately, a tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the organization that monitors marine traffic in the region. The tanker's master reported hearing the sounds about nine nautical miles southeast of Kumzar, Oman. The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said Wednesday that the Houthis have turned away 29 other tankers since last month. These incidents add to a growing list of ships attacked during the 2026 Iran war, which has severely disrupted maritime traffic in the region. According to maritime security reports for the week of July 27 to August 2, twenty incidents were reported globally, including in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Oman, Mediterranean Sea, Port of Antwerp, Red Sea, Sea of Azov, and Strait of Hormuz, with both Uk