News / OOCL box ship in Red Sea hit by rocket fired from a drone

Photo: VesselFinder

Risks to container vessels passing through the Red Sea region have been further heightened after reports that an OOCL ship was attacked by a Houthi drone yesterday.

According to reports, the 4,250 teu Number 9 issued a distress call after reporting being hit by a rocket as it sailed some 40km from the Yemen coast, resulting in engine damage and the ship taking on water.

Splash247 reported that Houthi rebels subsequently ordered the vessel to dock at the port of Hodeidah, where the captured car-carrier Galaxy Leader is being held.

However, the vessel’s captain explained that the damaged engine meant he was unable to change course.

The vessel is deployed on the Ocean Alliance’s AAS Asia-Mediterranean service and, according to OOCL’s vessel tracking service, is continuing on its original schedule of a Suez Canal transit followed by a call at Alexandria, albeit a day late.

In the aftermath of the attack, maritime newspaper Tradewinds raised the interesting possibility that the Houthi rebels might be using outdated data in its targeting of shipping assets. The Number 9 was chartered by Israeli line Zim from October 2020 to December 2020, but the ship was subsequently chartered by Hong Kong-based Gold Star Line for a three-year fixture, beginning October 2021, and has been employed by Cosco-owned OOCL over the course of this year.