Indian-flagged oil tanker hit by attack drone in Red Sea, US military says

An Indian-flagged crude oil tanker in the Red Sea reported that it was hit by an attack drone fired by Houthi militants, sending out a distress call to a US warship in the area, the US military said on December 23.

The US military received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack, according to The Economic Times.

The USS Laboon reported distress signals from a Norwegian-operated chemical/oil tanker and a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker.

The US military says that the Norwegian tanker, Blaamanen, reported a near miss from a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported, while the Indian tanker, Saibaba, reported a hit but no injuries.

These attacks took place at approximately 10:30 pm IST, on December 23. The attacks mark the 14th and 15th such incidents on commercial ships from Houthi militants since October.

"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 US Central Command said in a social media post.

Earlier on December 23, between 3 and 8 pm in Yemen, the USS Laboon shot down four unmanned aerial drones that reportedly originated from Yemen and were directed towards the American battleship.

"The USS LABOON [DDG 58] was patrolling in the Southern Red Sea as part of Operation PROSPERITY GUARDIAN [OPG] and shot down four unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that were inbound to the USS LABOON. There were no injuries or damage in this incident," the CENTCOM said in a social media post.