After weeks of concern for the shipping community regarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, security sources have confirmed an LNG tanker became a direct target for an RPG on October 26, 2016, reported Splash24/7.
The Spanish-flagged Galicia Spirit was fired upon as it passed Perim Island, between the coast of Djibouti and Yemen.
PTI has previously reported that risks to merchant vessels were increasing in the busy strait as ships may find themselves caught in the cross fire of the war between the Houthi rebel forces and Yemeni government forces, however there had been no previous reports of a merchant or civilian chip being directly targeted.
The ship and its crew were unharmed, but the ship is continuing its journey to Egypt with a naval warship escort.
ASKET, a Security Broker company, has released a statement: “The use of RPGs in an attack against a vessel in this shipping choke point is very worrying.
“Crews are advised to maintain a good lookout by radar and enhanced watch keepers; crew should take cover in pre-designated areas away from the side of any threat if possible and be prepared to fight any fires caused by an exploding warhead.”
