Vietnamese sailor killed on cargo ship attacked by Houthi

The company that owns the cargo ship True Confidence confirmed that a Vietnamese sailor was one of three victims killed in the Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden.

"One Vietnamese sailor and two Filipino sailors were killed," AP quoted the announcement today from the owner and manager of the cargo ship True Confidence. "Two Filipino sailors were seriously injured. All on board have been taken to Djibouti."

The announcement came after the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence was attacked by Houthi missiles on March 6 in the Red Sea off the port of Aden, Yemen. The ship is owned by Liberian shipping company True Confidence Shipping and is operated by Greek company Third January Maritime.

Image of the ship M/V True Confidence after being attacked by Houthi, released by the US military. Photo: Reuters — Image of the ship M/V True Confidence after being attacked by Houthi. Photo: *Reuters*

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier that the attack killed three people, injured at least four and set fire to the True Confidence. The sailors abandoned ship and were assisted by warships led by the US-led military coalition in the area.

The Bureau of Labor and Immigration of the Philippines confirmed the number of casualties to the ship's owner, True Confidence, and called on all parties to "continue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and address the root causes of the current conflict in the Middle East," the agency said.

According to the announcements from both units, True Confidence has a crew of 20, including 15 Filipinos, 4 Vietnamese and one Indian. The three armed guards on board are two Sri Lankans and one Nepalese. The ship was attacked while carrying steel from China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

True Confidence Shipping and Third January Maritime confirmed that the True Confidence ship has no connection to the US.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy said its warship INS Kolkata rescued 21 people from the True Confidence. The medical team on board provided first aid and took the victims to hospital. The reason for the discrepancy in the number of people on board given by India and the US is not yet clear.

Indian Navy rescues True Confidence crew. Video: *X/indiannavy*

This is the first recorded casualty since the Houthis stepped up attacks on cargo ships passing through the Red Sea to pressure Israel to stop its campaign against Hamas, the Houthis' ally in the anti-Tel Aviv resistance axis in the Middle East.

The Houthis claimed to have "precisely" attacked the True Confidence and that a fire broke out on the vessel. "The vessel was targeted after its crew ignored warnings," the Houthis said, adding that the group would not stop its attacks in the Red Sea until Israel "stops its operations and lifts the blockade on the Palestinians in Gaza."

The US and UK have repeatedly launched attacks on Houthi radar sites, anti-ship missiles, suicide boats and UAVs, but have not been able to stop the group from continuing to attack cargo ships. The US has declared that it will hold the Houthis accountable and called on governments around the world to take action.

"The United States will certainly continue to take action," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre warned.