Fatal attacks reported on cargo vessels in Red Sea and Gulf of Oman

On August 11, 2026, two separate maritime incidents occurred, resulting in casualties. According to Yemeni coast guard sources and military officials, a cargo ship identified as the Egyptian-owned Tihamah was attacked by Houthi forces in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leading to the deaths of four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—while it traveled from Salalah to Djibouti. Houthi forces have not claimed responsibility for this attack, which marks the first fatalities from their strikes since the onset of the conflict in Iran on February 28, 2026.

Simultaneously, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident involving a container ship south of Gwadar, Pakistan, in the Gulf of Oman. While some reports suggest the ship was struck by a missile from a U.S. helicopter attempting to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports, other sources describe the involvement of military forces in a general sense. The shipping industry continues to monitor these escalating risks as the operational environment in the region remains highly unstable.