Indian cargo ship sinks in Red Sea after Houthi attack; all 14 crew rescued

Attack and sinking

The Indian-flagged cargo vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya was attacked on 4 August 2026 while transiting the Red Sea off Yemen's western coast. The National Resistance Forces, a Yemeni government-aligned faction that controls the port of Mokha, said the ship was struck by a boat packed with explosives about 13 nautical miles south of Hodeidah, a major port held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. India's shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the weapon as a projectile. The blast caused the vessel to capsize and sink. All 14 people on board, 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni, survived the initial strike.

Rescue operation

Yemeni coast guard and naval units belonging to the internationally recognised government mounted a joint operation to reach the crew. They rescued all 14 seafarers and brought them ashore at the Port of Mokha, south of the attack site. Sonowal confirmed the rescue on X, stating that the crew were "rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and taken to the Port of Mokha." India's Ministry of External Affairs said it was coordinating with Yemeni authorities over the incident and expressed gratitude for their support.

Attribution and condemnation

The National Resistance Forces directly blamed the Houthis for the attack. The internationally recognised Yemeni government also attributed the strike to the rebel group, according to the official Saba news agency. The Houthis, who have controlled Hodeidah and much of northern Yemen for years, did not comment as of Tuesday evening. India issued a sharp condemnation. In a formal statement, the external affairs ministry said:

“The continued attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome. We call for an end to the targeting of merchant vessels and for the restoration of free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through international waterways, in accordance with international law.”

Sonowal separately called the attack "unprovoked" and demanded that such strikes cease.

Regional tensions

The sinking is the latest in a string of maritime incidents that have disrupted one of the world's busiest trade routes. The Houthis recently announced a naval blockade of Saudi ports, and cross-border hostilities between the group and Saudi Arabia resumed in July after several years of relative calm. The rebels have also claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil tankers in the area. The Houthis, aligned with Tehran, have targeted shipping in the Red Sea to blockade Saudi exports, widening the US-Iran conflict that has already choked oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. The war began on 28 February. Indian refiners have responded by switching to delivered-basis cargoes from the Middle East following earlier Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers. The Houthis had previously threatened commercial shipping off Yemen during the Gaza war, citing solidarity with Palestinians, until a ceasefire took hold in October 2025. India, which counts over 320,000 active merchant seafarers, is one of the world's largest suppliers of maritime labour.