US accuses Iran of ignoring Red Sea distress call from vessel hit by Houthi strike

Crew abandon MV Verbena after attack east of Aden as militants continue to threaten key shipping route

The Tutor coal carrier has suffered flooding and damage to the engine room after a Houthi attack. AP

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The US Navy on Sunday accused an Iranian warship of ignoring distress calls sent by a burning civilian vessel in the Red Sea.

The Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated MV Verbena has been on fire since Thursday, when it was struck by two missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The crew abandoned the ship on Saturday, after failing to contain the blaze, and were rescued by another civilian vessel.

“MV Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety,” US Central Command said.

The Houthis have carried out hundreds of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since November, claiming to be acting in support of Hamas and demanding that Israel ends its war in Gaza. About 12 per cent of global trade passes across the Red Sea.

An Iranian warship, the IRIN Jamaran, was about 14km away from the Verbena when it sent a distress signal, but did not respond, Centcom said.

“The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from MV Verbena and did not respond to the distress call," it said.

"This continued malign and reckless behaviour by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Centcom will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities.”

Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, any ship, whether civilian or military, must make an effort to assist endangered sailors.

"Every State shall require the master of a ship flying its flag, in so far as he can do so without serious danger to the ship, the crew or the passengers...to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost," the treaty says.

The Jamaran has a maximum speed of 30 knots, so could have reached the Verbena in minutes. The ship was struck about 160km east of Aden, said the Joint Maritime Information Centre, which co-ordinates between military and commercial shipping.

The Verbena was sailing from Songkhla, Thailand, to the Italian city of Venice, ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows.

Red Sea trade slump

Shipping traffic in the Red Sea is down by about 70 per cent compared with the start of December. One of the countries hit hardest by the Red Sea crisis is Egypt, which normally earns about $8 billion a year from Suez Canal transit fees.

On June 12, the Houthis attacked the Tutor, a Greek-owned coal carrier, near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, causing severe flooding and damage to the engine room. The attack left the vessel unable to manoeuvre.

US naval forces rescued most of the crew of the Tutor on Saturday.

A helicopter from the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower airlifted the crew out on Saturday, the US navy said, adding that one civilian sailor remained missing.

"The Verbena is sinking in the Gulf of Aden … the Tutor is at risk of sinking in the coming hours," Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday, repeating the group's threat to launch attacks on ships tied to companies that do business with Israel.

The US and UK have launched a campaign to combat Houthi missiles and drones with air strikes on Yemen, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian. Several allied countries have provided logistical and intelligence support in the operations.

An EU naval mission, Operation Aspides, is also helping to intercept Houthi drones and missiles.

Centcom said it destroyed two sea drones Friday, as well as seven radar systems used by the Houthis to launch attacks on ships.