Houthi Tanker Attacks Raise New Red Sea Risk Questions

Updated 21 October 2026: this article, first published on 28 July, has been revised. The earlier version did not separate the confirmed strike on Encelia from the unconfirmed report on Layla; it now does, and an October section has been added.

The July Attacks: What Was Claimed and What Was Confirmed

On 22 July Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed to have attacked two Saudi-flagged tankers, Layla (IMO 9336098) and Encelia (IMO 9240172), with missiles and drones, the first strikes linked to their announced blockade of Saudi seaports, The Maritime Executive reported. The two claims did not carry the same weight:

• Encelia: security consultancy Vanguard Tech confirmed the strike, reporting that the tanker was hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire that the crew fought.
• Layla: the reported strike was not independently confirmed. The tanker’s AIS signal had been dark for several days, and UKMTO logged a strike on one tanker only.

Further incidents followed. On 24 July the Saudi state news agency SPA said the tanker NCC Masa had sustained minor hull damage and continued her voyage. On 28 July the Houthis claimed an attack on the Saudi-flagged product tanker NCC Ghazal; a maritime security analyst at EOS Risk Group reported that she was struck and returned to port, The Maritime Executive reported.

October: Fighting Near the Shipping Lane

In early October, Reuters reported that Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition air support, had launched an offensive to capture the Red Sea coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the city of Mocha, as the Houthis attacked Aden’s airport. These reports concern fighting on land and along the coast. They do not, on their own, show a new attack on merchant shipping, and the July tanker attacks should not be read as October events.

Why It Matters for Ships and Crews

The confirmed facts are limited but significant: Saudi-flagged tankers were targeted in July under a declared blockade, and fighting in October has moved towards the coastline of one of the world’s main shipping chokepoints. For operators, the useful questions are factual ones — whether a vessel, its cargo or its ports of call fall within the scope of the Houthi threat, what official advisories such as UKMTO’s report for the planned transit date, and how crews are briefed before entering the area. Claims by any party that have not been independently confirmed should be treated as claims.

Reviewed by Apeks Marine Editorial Team.