Gabon-flagged vessel with 25 Indians on board suffers drone attack in Red Sea

A crude oil tanker, with 25 Indian crew members on board, suffered a drone attack in the Red Sea.

According to the US military, the attack drone was fired by Huthi militants. Upon being hit, the crude oil tanker sent out a distress call to a US warship in the area.

The Gabon-owned tanker MV Saibaba reported no injuries from the strike, the US Central Command said in a social media post. Indian Navy officials too confirmed that the 25 Indians on board are safe.

Earlier today, the US Central Command claimed that of the two warships that came under fire from Houthis, one was India-flagged. However, the Indian Navy issued a statement clarifying that the vessel is Gabon-flagged and that it had received a certification from the Indian register of shipping.

“The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, Gabon-owned M/V SAIBABA reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported. The USS LABOON (DDG 58) responded to the distress calls from these attacks,” it added in a post on X, formerly Twitter.