Houthis Target Pollux Oil Tanker in Red Sea

The Houthis targeted the Pollux oil tanker while it was crossing the Red Sea, using naval missiles, according to what the Houthi group announced today.

The US State Department said on Friday that the Panama-flagged tanker Pollux carrying crude oil was attacked by a missile in the Red Sea while it was on its way to India, while the Houthi group claimed that the tanker was British.

Attacks by the Houthi group on ships in the Red Sea have begun to affect food, consumer goods, and energy prices in Europe, according to S&P Global.

The US Central Command said in a post on the "X" platform, reported by "Reuters" today, that its forces directed two strikes against an anti-ship cruise missile and a drone boat launched from areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.

The command added that four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from the areas controlled by the Houthis on the Red Sea towards the commercial ship "MT Pollux" between 1:15 pm yesterday, Friday, and 1 am today, Saturday, noting that there were no reports of injuries or injuries. Damage to the ship or any other ship in the area.

The Iran-backed Houthi group has carried out a series of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November. They said that their strikes came in response to the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.

The Red Sea is the main shipping artery between Asia and Europe, as 12% of global trade volume and 10% and 8% of global seaborne oil and liquefied gas supplies pass through it, respectively.

Navigation traffic in the Suez Canal declined by 40% last January, with the rerouting of ships to the Cape of Good Hope route, which extends the duration of the journey by about two weeks, which threatens to increase the risk of disruptions in supply chains, leading to higher shipping costs and renewed inflationary pressures.