BP halts tanker journeys through the Red Sea as Norwegian oil vessel is attacked with rockets from Yemen and US sends in warship

• M/V Swan Atlantic was attacked in the southern Red Sea by multiple projectiles
• The USS Carney responded to its distress call by moving toward the tanker

Oil giant BP has paused all of its tanker journeys through the Red Sea due to attacks by militants in Yemen, after a Norwegian oil tanker was attacked with rockets fired from the country in the latest incident in the vital shipping route.

The M/V Swan Atlantic was attacked in the southern Red Sea by multiple projectiles launched from Houthi-controlled territory, US officials told Reuters news agency, prompting the United States to send in a warship.

The USS Carney responded to its distress call by moving toward the Cayman Islands-flagged tanker, the officials added. 

The US official was not authorised to speak publicly about the attack, and so spoke on condition of anonymity and did not give further details, Reuters said. 

Following the incident, BP announced its decision to pause its tanker journeys through the region, which has increasingly come under attack since the Hamas terror attack on October 7 and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Oil giant BP has paused all of its tanker journeys through the Red Sea due to attacks by militants in Yemen, after a Norwegian oil tanker was attacked with rockets fired from the country in the latest incident in the vital shipping route

The company said: ‘In our trading & shipping business, as in all BP businesses, the safety and security of our people and those working on our behalf is bp’s priority.

‘In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, bp has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea. 

‘We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region.’

The owner of the on the the M/V Swan Atlantic said on Monday it was hit by an unidentified object and that none of its crew had been injured. 

Oystein Elgan, chief executive of owner Inventor Chemical Tankers, said the ship’s water tank had been damaged in the attack but all the vessel’s systems were operating normally.

Operator Uni-Tankers said in a statement the crew had brought under control a small fire after the vessel was struck on its port side. 

The ship was carrying vegetable oils and is sailing to Reunion Island.

A British maritime authority said earlier that it had received a report of a possible explosion two nautical miles from a vessel located 30 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Mokha.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) authority said in separate advisories it had received reports of a second incident 30 nautical miles northwest of Mokha and another incident 24 nautical miles southeast of the port.

No other information was given in the reports, and it was not immediately clear whether any of the reports related to the M/V Swan Atlantic.

The attack is the latest in a string of incidents in the Black Sea since Hamas launched its October 7 attack from Gaza in Israel, killing around 1,200 people.

In response, Israel declared war on the terror group and launched its own ground offensive into the coastal enclave, killing over 18,000 Palestinians.

The USS Carney (pictured, file photo) responded to its distress call by moving toward the Cayman Islands-flagged tanker, the officials added today following the attack

The Houthis, who rule much of Yemen, say the attacks are a show of solidarity with Palestinians and have pledged to continue until Israel stops attacking Gaza. Pictured: The Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, delivers a statement on the recent attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, during a pro-Palestinians rally in Sana’a, Yemen, December 15

The war has repeatedly spilled into other areas of the region.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the war began, and other Iran-backed militant groups have attacked U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have targeted ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones – with the M/V Swan Atlantic being the latest.

The group has also fired drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

The Houthis, who rule much of Yemen, say the attacks are a show of solidarity with Palestinians and have pledged to continue until Israel stops attacking Gaza.

However, the group said on Saturday that real steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip would contribute to ‘reducing the escalation’. 

They also said that they were in Oman-mediated talks about its sea ‘operations’. 

That was the first indication that the militia group may be willing to de-escalate. 

The attacks pose a threat to the global economy as they target the flow of supplies between Asia and the West.

They are driving up the cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea.

The Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen’s Houthis last month, is seen anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen December 5

People tour the deck of the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen’s Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen December 5

The US, British and French navies have already strengthened their presence in the Red Sea to protect vessels from the risk of seizure or attack by the Houthis.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier this month that Washington was in talks with various nations over forming a maritime task force for the Red Sea, but did not give further details.

Meanwhile, it was reported today that Italy is considering whether to join a Western naval coalition meant to protect ships in the Red Sea.

The Italian source, who also asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that Rome had been asked to join the operation and a decision would be made by the end of this week.

The attacks have resulted in several shipping companies assessing whether or not to pause operations that involved routes through the Red Sea.

French shipping group CMA CGM on Saturday said it was pausing all container shipments through the region.

Meanwhile, German container shipping line Hapag Lloyd said on Friday it was examining whether to pause sailings via the Red Sea, hours after reporting one of its ships had been attacked.

A projectile believed to be a drone struck its vessel Al Jasrah while sailing close to the coast of Yemen. No crew were injured.

Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk said on the same day it would also pause all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice, following a ‘near-miss incident’ involving its vessel Maersk Gibraltar a day earlier.

A smoke plume erupts during Israeli bombardment on the northern Gaza Strip near the border with southern Israel on December 17, 2023

The ship was targeted by a missile while travelling from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the company said.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said Saturday its ships would not transit through the Suez Canal, with some already rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope, a day after Houthi forces fired two ballistic missiles at its MSC Palatium III vessel. 

The decision will disrupt sailing schedules by several days, the Switzerland-based group said.

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has also stopped cargo acceptance to and from Israel until further notice due to operational issues, the shipping company owned by Hong Kong-based Oriental Overseas.

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