By Al-Fassel | 2024-09-23

The onward activities of two ships the Houthis attacked in the Red Sea highlight the group's intelligence deficiencies and point to its likely collusion with Russia, a recent analysis reveals.

The Houthis attacked the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker Andromeda Star in April with anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), mistakenly claiming they had hit a British ship.

In May, they fired five ASBMs at the Panama-flagged Freda (formerly Huang Pu), also incorrectly claiming the oil tanker was British.

Both vessels were apparently targeted based on outdated ownership data, per an August 22 analysis by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).

Though Andromeda Star had previous links to a British company, it was transporting Russian oil to India at the time of the attack, as part of a "dark fleet" of tankers that are evading sanctions on Russia's energy sector.

Likewise, the Freda was at the time of the attack operated by a Hong Kong-based company with a Chinese crew.

The Houthis had previously pledged they would not target Chinese or Russian vessels.

Continued Red Sea activity

Despite coming under attack, "the Andromeda Star has continued sailing in the Red Sea to the Asian market, where India and China are Moscow's key clients," the WINEP report said.

Shipping data from MarineTraffic showed it at the southern entrance of the Suez Canal on July 11, bound for Asia after departing from Russia's Ust-Luga port.

On August 14, Freda "was seen sailing north in the Red Sea toward the Suez Canal, signaling 'all Chinese crew' via its AIS" and was in the Mediterranean Sea by August 21 "signaling for the Russian Port of Primorsk."

"The tanker was traveling from India's Jamnagar refinery, but previously had been seen at Russia's Far East Kozmino terminal, where Russian ESPO (Eastern Siberian–Pacific Ocean) blend crude oil is loaded, according to data from Kpler."

"That Freda and Andromeda Star recently crossed the Red Sea despite the attacks earlier this year likely indicates one of two things," the WINEP report said.

"Either the owners/operators are taking great risks in a vital oil transportation route, or they are confident that the issue of the ships' past links to Britain has been resolved and that they can travel safely."

"If the issue has been resolved, this might have been achieved through a special communication link to the Houthis," the report said, noting that this is still speculative.

The onward movement of ships can help clarify why some Russia-linked tankers continue on their route following a Houthi attack, it said, while other tankers circumvent the Red Sea to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.