Shipowner Denies Houthi Attack Claim

NICOSIA, July 16 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis did not attack the Cyprus-flagged Olvia tanker in the Mediterranean, the ship’s owner told Reuters on Tuesday, while maritime security sources said no vessel had been hit in those waters by the Iran-backed militia.

In a televised speech on Monday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had attacked two ships in the Red Sea and separately joined the Iraqi Islamic Resistance in targeting the Olvia in the Mediterranean Sea.

“This is to let you know that there was no incident,” Cyprus-based Island Oil, the holding company which owns the Olvia, said in an emailed response to Reuters.

Maritime security sources said the Houthis had made claims about targeting ships in the Mediterranean in the past, which had not been substantiated. 

This would involve much bigger capabilities to strike in that area directly or using longer range ballistic missiles with precision, they added.

Anthony Madella, director of the Cyprus’ shipping ministry, also said no incident occurred.

In dozens of attacks in the Red Sea since November, the Houthis have sunk two vessels and seized another, killed at least three sailors and upended global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the popular Suez Canal trade shortcut.

The militia, which says its attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, has become more effective at damaging ships through using unmanned drone boats packed with explosives that damage a vessel’s vulnerable waterline. 

(Reporting by Michele Kambas in Nicosia and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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