Sudden! A Chinese merchant ship was attacked by missiles in the Red Sea

The U.S. military said a "Chinese oil tanker" sailing near Yemen was hit Saturday by ballistic missiles fired by Houthi, who have stepped up their crackdown on Red Sea shipping and heightened tensions in the Red Sea.

The Chinese-operated M.V. Huang Pu, a Panamanian-flagged tanker, sent a distress signal after the attack, but did not ask for assistance, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. Fortunately, the fire on board was quickly extinguished in just 30 minutes, causing no casualties.

The U.S. Central Command said the Houthi first fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles ASBM (an explosion near the ship) at the Whampoa in the Red Sea, before a fifth missile hit the ship. In addition, the U.S. military exchanged fire with six drones fired by Houthi, five of which crashed into the Red Sea, while the sixth flew to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

The CENTCOM statement said:"Houthi armed forces attacked the "M.V. Huang Pu”, although they had previously stated that they would not attack Chinese ships. According to Ambrey, a maritime security agency, the ship was registered by United Maritime Company in 2019, but its name, operator and other details were renamed in February 2024. British maritime experts analyzed that Houthi's missile attack on the M.V. Huang Pu may be a" mistaken attack "caused by information lag. 

The Houthi have vowed to continue attacks on Israeli, British and American ships, as well as on ships heading for Israeli ports, making the security situation for shipping in the Red Sea more serious. Despite successive actions by the United States and the European Union, Houthi attacks have not stopped. The attack on the oil tanker Huangpu is another reminder that the situation in the Red Sea is still unstable and shipping security problems still need to be solved urgently.

突发！一艘中国商船在红海遭导弹袭击

       美国军方表示，周六，一艘在也门附近航行的“中国油轮”遭到胡塞武装发射的弹道导弹袭击，胡塞武装加强了对红海航运的打击，也加剧了红海的紧张局势。

       美国中央司令部(CENTCOM)发表声明称，悬挂巴拿马国旗、由中国运营的“黄埔”号（M.V.Huang Pu）油轮在遭遇袭击后发出了求救信号，但并未请求援助。幸运的是，船上发生的火灾在短短30分钟内被迅速扑灭，未造成人员伤亡。

       美国中央司令部表示，在袭击事件中，胡塞武装首先向在红海的“黄埔”号发射了四枚反舰弹道导弹ASBM（在船舶附近的爆炸），随后第五枚导弹击中了该船。此外，美军还与胡塞武装发射的六架无人机交火，其中五架坠入红海，而第六架则飞往也门胡塞武装控制的地区。

       美国中央司令部(CENTCOM)声明称：“胡塞武装袭击了黄埔号油轮，尽管他们此前曾表示不会攻击中国船只。据海事安全机构Ambrey称，该船于2019年由英国联合海事公司注册，但其名称和运营商等详细信息在2024年2月进行了更名。英国海事专家分析，胡塞武装对“黄埔号”油轮的导弹袭击可能是因信息滞后导致的“误击”。

       胡塞武装誓言要继续袭击以色列、英国和美国的船只，以及前往以色列港口的船只，这使得红海航运的安全形势愈发严峻。尽管美国、欧盟等相继采取行动，但胡塞武装的袭击并未停止。此次“黄埔”号油轮遭袭事件再次提醒人们，红海局势仍不稳定、航运的安全问题仍然亟待解决。