A dry bulk vessel identified as the Zografia has been hit by a missile while sailing in the Red Sea, international media reports reported on Tuesday afternoon (Athens time).
The Greek-owned vessel sustained “minor damage”, according to maritime sources.
⚡️#BREAKING Dry bulk vessel Zografia hit by missile in red sea area, sustains minor damage according to Reuters pic.twitter.com/TLUzUeSX6X
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) January 16, 2024
Insurance broker Ambrey said the vessel was hit while sailing some 76 kilometers off the Yemeni port of Saleef.
British maritime security firm Ambrey says a Malta-flagged, Greek-owned, bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and impacted with a missile while transiting northbound approximately 76 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s #Saleef. pic.twitter.com/1EreVNHhgf
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 16, 2024
A later announcement by Greece’s shipping ministry said the Malta-flagged vessel was headed from Vietnam to Israel without any cargo onboard.
Media reports in Greece said no Greek merchant seamen were serving aboard the specific bulker. The crew is comprised of 20 Ukrainians, three Filipinos and one Georgian national.
The Greek government has previously announced that it will contribute at least one Hellenic Navy warship, possibly a frigate, in an international naval task group being mustered by the United States to protect merchant vessels plying the Red Sea, to and from the Suez Canal, from Houthi rebels operating in parts of strife-plagued Yemen.
