Yemeni Huthi rebels have attacked ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles after the outbreak of the Gaza war. However, a photo of containers precariously balanced on a cargo ship that surfaced in reports about the strikes is unrelated. The New Zealand Navy published the photo in a Facebook post about a ship that ran aground in October 2011.
“Yemeni players scored another goal as they targeted Israeli ships in the Red Sea,” a Bangladeshi read Facebook post shared on May 8, 2024.
The Huthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched drone and missile attacks on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023, describing their attacks as an act of retaliation for the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Iranian-backed rebel attacks have prompted reprisals from US and British forces and the formation of an international coalition to protect vital shipping lanes.
The photo was shared in similar Facebook posts here and here.
A disaster in New Zealand
A reverse image search on Google found the photo posted to the Royal New Zealand Navy Facebook page on October 5, 2020 (archived link).
According to the Facebook post, the photo shows the Rena container ship stranded off the coast of New Zealand after hitting a reef in 2011.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the mistakenly shared photo (left) and the Royal New Zealand Navy photo (right):
The Liberian-flagged ship released an oil slick that killed thousands of seabirds after it plowed into the offshore reef and polluted the beaches of the North Island’s pristine Bay of Plenty.
The accident sparked public outrage and a dangerous salvage operation as crews struggled to pump the remaining oil from the Rena’s fuel tanks as heavy seas battered the stricken ship, opening deep cracks in the hull.
The ship’s captain and second officer were both jailed in 2012 for their roles in New Zealand’s worst marine pollution disaster.
AFP published images of waves lapping around the stranded ship as it tilted to one side.
AFP has previously reviewed photos and videos falsely presented online as Huthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has caused fatalities at least 35,900 According to the Ministry of Health of the Hamas-controlled area, they are mainly civilians.
