Armed Attack on CU Lines Container Ship in the Southern Red Sea

A container ship operated by Chinese carrier CU Lines, the Cul Klang, was attacked by a small armed boat in the southern Red Sea, in an area north of the Bab el-Mandeb. The Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) received reports of the incident, which occurred in the early hours of October 7. After the gunfire, the boat moved away and the vessel continued its voyage northbound with no injuries reported among the crew.

The Cul Klang is a Singapore-flagged vessel built in 2024, with a capacity of 2,433 TEU and a deadweight of 35,300 tonnes according to Maritime Executive, while marinetraffic_maritimenews states that it measures 188.9 meters in length and 32 meters in breadth. The ship was sailing from Port Klang, Malaysia, and its AIS system displayed a message indicating Chinese ownership and crew. No claims of responsibility for the attack have been made so far.

The incident occurred at the same time as an escalation of fighting along the Yemeni coast, where Saudi and internationally recognized government forces are battling the Houthis to retake lost territory. Clashes were reported in the al-Waziya area, in the Taiz region, and along the coast south of Mocha, including the town of Dhubab, near the Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi-backed forces claimed to have retaken Mocha and key parts of the coast on Tuesday, although by Wednesday both sides were claiming control of strategic sections of the coastline.

The Houthis also launched a series of missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, with confirmed impacts near the airports of Abha and Riyadh. According to the Associated Press, as cited by Maritime Executive, three people were killed at those two airports and at least 30 were injured. Saudi forces said they had shot down additional missiles and struck a launch platform in Sanaa.

The Houthis had previously stated that they would only target vessels linked to Saudi Arabia, raising doubts as to whether they were responsible for firing on a Chinese-linked ship. Some earlier reports suggested that certain small boats in the region could be fishing vessels acting to protect their nets. The last confirmed incident in the Red Sea prior to this attack dated back to late August, when a tanker was attacked off the Saudi port of Yanbu, while on October 4 explosions had been reported near a tanker in the Gulf of Aden. The European naval force EUNAVFOR Aspides said it continues to escort vessels and that the European Union is working to strengthen its capabilities in the region, amid persistent security risks despite the recovery in traffic levels through the Bab el-Mandeb.