Red Sea Attack Sinks India-Flagged Cargo Vessel Off Yemen

An India-flagged tanker, MSV Faize Noore Oliya, carrying Saudi oil has sunk off the coast of Yemen after being hit by a projectile in the Red Sea. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack, which occurred near Yemeni waters on August 4, 2026. All seafarers, including 13 Indian nationals, were rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard after the vessel capsized and sank.

The ongoing attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply concerning, with India's foreign ministry calling for an end to targeting and unimpeded navigation through international waterways. The Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint have become a new theater of attacks after Iran-aligned Houthis threatened to disrupt Saudi-linked shipments.

Despite targeting China- and Russia-linked vessels, the Houthis appear to specifically target Saudi-linked or owned tankers. U.S.-Iran talks have not alleviated the threat, and more Saudi oil-laden tankers have transited the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint in recent days. Since the Houthis announced their attempt to choke off Saudi shipments, Saudi Arabia has rerouted part of its exports northward to Egypt and the Suez Canal, while others transit the chokepoint under dark mode.

Tanker traffic at the Strait of Hormuz remains subdued, prolonging the period of tanker owners either using dark mode, abandoning efforts, or not transiting at all. Analysts have deemed the threats to shipping in the Gulf and Red Sea the worst since the Iran war began.