Guards open fire on ‘Houthi kamikaze sea drone’ which then explodes

This is the heartstopping moment armed guards on a container ship opened fire on an apparent Houthi kamikaze sea drone before it explodes in a huge fireball. The video, posted to X by Navy Lookout, shows the large cargo ship sailing through the foggy Red Sea before the alleged Houthi kamikaze drone boat filled with explosives speeds towards it.

The small unmanned speedboat, believed to be remote controlled by Houthi rebels is seen ripping through the water while the Ukrainian crew onboard the boat gear up to launch their counterattack. It is not clear where or when exactly the footage was captured, and the ship has not been named.

In the clip, two armed crew members, donning protective gear, raise their firearms while another films the tense scenes on a mobile phone. After crouching and aiming through a the ship’s metal railing, one of the crew strikes a clear shot at the quick boat before it erupts in an orange blaze.

The massive explosion sends thick black clouds billowing into the sky as the Ukrainian ship continues is journey onwards, leaving the smoking remains of the apparent Houthi drone in its wake. This is not the first incident of its kind to take place in the Red Sea in recent weeks, however, as just last month a video emerged on social media showing a Houthi USV striking a 750ft Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned cargo carrier .

And though the Iranian-backed rebel group has routinely attempted USV attacks after launching their assault on shipping in November after the Israel-Hamas war broke out, this incident marked the first time they managed to successfully strike a vessel. The M/V Tutor had been sailing through steady waters before the vessel’s security crew noticed a small boat whizzing towards them at speed. The Houthi USV appeared to have dummies on board, with the Ambrey maritime security firm stating: ‘Inspectors found three electronic switches connected to 25kg of C4 explosives – approximately 33.5kg of TNT equivalent, and 50kg of TNT,’ on the boat.

But security personnel aboard the cargo carrier appeared to take no action against the USV, as seen in footage. One crew member watched on through a pair of binoculars while two guards held their firearms pointing skywards instead of towards the small boat. The trio watched the USV steadily approach for around 30 seconds and the video cut out before the explosive impact. It did, however, capture the security personnel making a mad dash to the bridge and the panicked crew trying to figure out their next move.

The Yemeni militant group has been using kamikaze drone boats for several years, and pioneered the operational use of kamikaze USVs. Most notably, in 2017, an unmanned explosive-laded Houthi USV struck Saudi frigate Al Madinah in the first confirmed use of the drone boat weapon.

Former U.S. Navy vice admiral and Directory of Navy Staff told DefenseNews at the time that he was concerned about the weapon ‘being in the hands of the Houthis’. ‘That’s not an easy thing to develop. There have been many terrorist groups that have tried to develop that, it’s not something that was just invented by the Houthis. There’s clearly support there coming from others, so that’s problematic,’ he said. But despite continued efforts by the U.S. and allies to take down Houthi drones and USVs, they have been ramping up their shipping attacks.

The months-long U.S.-led campaign in the region has seen the Navy face its most-intense maritime fighting since World War II, with near-daily attacks targeting commercial vessels and warship. Just two days after the Tutor was hit, they targeted M/V Verbena, a Ukrainian-owned cargo carrier in two separate attacks, CENTCOM stated. The Houthis have maintained that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain. However, many of the ships they’ve attacked have little or no connection to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

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