Deadly Missile Attack on Ferry Draws IMO, Pakistan Condemnation

Ferry Struck by Multiple Missiles Near Yemen

A small cargo-carrying ferry came under missile attack this week in waters off Yemen, leaving at least six people dead and as many as ten injured among the crew and members of the Yemen Coast Guard who responded to help. According to a report by The Maritime Executive, the Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the strike and vowed to keep targeting assets it associates with Saudi Arabia, while the Yemeni government, Pakistan, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued statements condemning the incident.

Accounts of what happened diverge sharply. The Houthis maintain the vessel was ferrying Saudi military equipment through the Bab al-Mandab strait when it was hit. Yemeni government spokesperson Colonel Waddah Al-Dobish countered that the ship, identified as the ferry Tihama, was actually anchored at the port of Mocha undergoing engine repairs, and that photographs of the scene show no evidence of military cargo aboard. Al-Dobish described the Tihama as a licensed civilian ferry operated by a private company, used to carry passengers and goods between Aden, Djibouti, Somalia, and Socotra, and noted it had previously taken part in rescue missions and humanitarian resupply runs, including gas deliveries to Socotra Island.

Sequence of the Attack

Of the 11 crew members aboard, three were killed outright — two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian — when the first missile struck and set the bridge and deckhouse ablaze. The Yemen Coast Guard moved in to assist, but the vessel was hit by a second missile, killing another crew member along with two Coast Guard personnel. At least seven more people were hurt during the evacuation, two seriously enough to require hospitalization. The Coast Guard also reported intercepting an explosive-laden drone that approached the ship roughly three hours after the initial strikes.

In response to the escalation, Yemeni government forces raised the possibility of targeting two Houthi-operated ferries running between the mainland port of Salif and Kamaran island, though Al-Dobish said they were holding off because those vessels also carry civilian passengers and supplies, despite being used at times for military logistics.

IMO and Pakistan Respond

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez called the attack “particularly troublesome,” pointing out it is another in a long string of incidents across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. He renewed his appeal for shipowners and operators to carefully evaluate risk before transiting the region and to follow established best management practices, stressing that seafarers deserve to work safely and securely. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister separately condemned the strike as a breach of international law. As of this report, neither the Saudi nor Indonesian governments had commented, and no statement had come from the vessel’s registered owner, an Egyptian company operating under Tanzanian flag.

Wider Regional Tensions

The attack comes amid a broader Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia, which the group announced on July 20 as talks over Yemen’s future have stalled. Besides this ferry, the Houthis have claimed strikes on several Saudi-linked tankers in the Red Sea and launched attacks on the port of Mocha over the same weekend, along with claimed hits on a Saudi encampment and an airport near the Yemeni border. In parallel, Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with a 14-nation coalition intended to protect regional shipping, with a planning session reportedly underway to finalize its structure.

What This Means for Operators

For ship owners, managers, and charterers, this incident underscores how quickly a vessel’s status — civilian ferry or military asset — can become a matter of dispute once conflict actors have competing incentives to frame an attack. Flag state and ownership records, cargo manifests, and voyage documentation take on added importance in these waters, not only for insurance and liability purposes but also to counter conflicting narratives after an incident. The renewed IMO call for rigorous risk assessment and adherence to best management practices is a reminder that transit decisions through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden cannot rely on static threat assessments; conditions are shifting week to week as the blockade campaign widens. Operators considering these routes should factor in not just piracy-style BMP guidance but the growing likelihood that vessels engaged in routine repair, resupply, or humanitarian work may be drawn into the conflict regardless of their actual cargo or mission.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.