Houthi rebels hijack ship in Red Sea, Arab coalition says‏

English version

اليمن العربي

 

The Saudi-led military Arab coalition in Yemen on Monday accused Houthi rebels of hijacking a tugboat towing a South Korean-owned drilling rig in the south of the Red Sea, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

 

The hijacking occurred at 10:58 pm local time Sunday (1958 GMT), coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said.

 

Ship operators in the Middle East have been on high alert, as conflict between the Saudi-led Arab coalition supporting the Yemeni legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has spilled over into the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

 

In July, Saudi Aramco temporarily halted oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb strait at the south end of the Red Sea, after it said two of its VLCCs were attacked by Houthi militants.