This is the heartbreaking moment armed guards on a container ship opened fire on an apparent Houthi kamikaze drone before it exploded in a huge fireball.
The video, posted on X by Navy Lookout, shows the large cargo ship sailing through the misty Red Sea before the suspected Houthi kamikaze drone packed with explosives approaches it.
The small unmanned speedboat, believed to be remotely controlled by Houthi rebels, is seen plowing through the water as the Ukrainian crew aboard the vessel prepare to launch their counterattack.
It is unclear where or when exactly the images were captured and the ship has not been identified.
In the clip, two armed crew members in protective gear raise their firearms while another films the tense scenes with a mobile phone.
After crouching down and aiming through the ship’s metal railing, one of the crew members accurately fires at the fast-moving ship before it bursts into an orange glow.
The footage captures the moment what appears to be a Houthi kamikaze maritime drone heads towards a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
Crew members aboard the container ship open fire on the small vessel before it explodes.
The unmanned vessel burst into an orange fire and is believed to have been unmanned and packed with explosives.
The massive explosion sends thick black clouds into the sky as the Ukrainian ship continues its journey, leaving the smoldering remains of the apparent Houthi drone in its wake.
However, this is not the first such incident to occur in the Red Sea in recent weeks, as last month a video surfaced on social media showing a Houthi USV ramming into a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned 750-foot cargo aircraft carrier.
And while the Iran-backed rebel group has routinely attempted USV attacks after launching its assault on ships in November following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, this incident marked the first time they had managed to successfully attack a vessel.
The M/V Tutor had been sailing through calm waters when the ship’s security crew noticed a small boat heading towards them at high speed.
The Houthi USV reportedly had dummies on board, with maritime security firm Ambrey stating: ‘Inspectors found three electronic switches connected to 25kg of C4 explosives, approximately 33.5kg of TNT equivalent and 50kg of TNT’ on the vessel.
But security personnel on board the cargo carrier apparently took no action against the USV, as seen in the footage.
A crew member watched through a pair of binoculars as two guards held their firearms pointed skyward rather than at the small boat.
The trio watched as the USV steadily approached for about 30 seconds and the video cut out before the explosive impact.
However, it captured security personnel running madly towards the bridge and the panicked crew trying to decide their next move.
The Yemeni militant group has been using kamikaze unmanned boats for several years and pioneered the operational use of kamikaze USVs.
All that remained of the suspected kamikaze drone was a plume of smoke rising above the water’s surface.
Most notably, in 2017 an unmanned Houthi USV loaded with explosives attacked the Saudi frigate Al Madinah in the first confirmed use of such weaponry.
Former US Navy Vice Admiral and member of the Navy Staff Directorate said: Defense News At the time, he was concerned that the weapon “could be in the hands of the Houthis.”
“It’s not an easy thing to develop. There have been many terrorist groups that have tried to develop it, it’s not something that the Houthis invented. There is obviously support from others, so that’s problematic,” he said.
But despite continued efforts by the United States and its allies to shoot down Houthi drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, the Houthis have been stepping up their maritime attacks.
The months-long US-led campaign in the region has seen the Navy engage in its most intense maritime combat since World War II, with near-daily attacks on commercial and warships.
Just two days after the attack on the Tutor, the M/V Verbena, a Ukrainian-owned cargo aircraft carrier, was attacked in two separate attacks, CENTCOM said.
The Houthis say their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain.
However, many of the ships they have attacked have little or no connection to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
A recent report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency said container shipping through the Red Sea has declined by 90 percent since December due to the attacks.
Up to 15 percent of the world’s maritime traffic flows through that corridor.
“It is deplorable that innocent seafarers are attacked while simply doing their jobs – vital work that keeps the world warm, fed and clothed,” the shipping industry said in a joint statement last month.
“This is an unacceptable situation and these attacks must end now,” he said.