MV True Confidence

MV True Confidence

History
Name	True Confidence Teizan (2011)
Owner	True Confidence Shipping S.A.
Operator	Third January Maritime Ltd
Port of registry	Barbados
Builder	Oshima Shipbuilding
Completed	2011
Identification	IMO number: 9460784 MMSI number: 314579000 Callsign: 8PBF4
Fate	Struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile on 6 March 2024
General characteristics
Class and type	Bulk carrier
Tonnage	29,104 GT
Length	183 m (600 ft 5 in)
Beam	32 m (105 ft 0 in)
Crew	20

MV True Confidence is a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier operated by Third January Maritime a Greek company and owned by True Confidence Shipping a Liberian shipping company. The vessel was attacked on 6 March 2024, causing the first civilian casualties of Houthi attacks on merchant shipping during the Red Sea crisis. At least three crew members of a cargo ship transiting the Red Sea were killed by a missile attack launched by Houthi rebels.

Attack

During the Red Sea crisis on 6 March 2024, at around 11:30 a.m. AST, the True Confidence was struck by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) southwest of Aden, Yemen after individuals claiming to be the Yemeni Navy hailed the vessel over radio for approximately 30 minutes and ordered her to alter her course.

United States Central Command imagery shows significant damage to the aft port quarter of the crew spaces below the level of the deck cargo. This indicates that the ship had indeed turned around and was on a south east course when the missiles struck at around 02:00UTC, two hours after the initial VHF radio contact was reported to the INS Kolkata. The attack caused significant damage to the ship, and her crew members abandoned the vessel shortly after. A fire also broke out in the pilothouse. Houthis stated that the attack came after the vessel rejected warning messages issued by them. The attack resulted in the first civilian casualties aboard merchant vessels in the Red Sea crisis, killing three crewmembers and injuring four others, including three of which who were in critical condition, according to United States Central Command. The vessel had a crew of 20 at the time of the attack, and an additional three armed guards. The crew was made up of 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese and one Indian, and the armed guards were made of up two Sri Lankans and one Nepali. Among the deaths were two Filipinos and one Vietnamese national.

The extent of the damage to the ship is unclear. The vessel's crew deployed lifeboats before abandoning her, and were eventually evacuated to Djibouti. Both the United States Navy warship USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) and Indian Navy destroyer INS Kolkata were deployed to assist in rescue efforts.

The vessel was holding a cargo of steel products and trucks at the time of the attack, and had been attempting to deliver them from Lianyungang, China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Aqaba, Jordan.

The Houthis claimed that the vessel was American-owned, however a spokesman for the ship's owners rejected the claim, saying it had no relation with American entities. The vessel's owners, the company True Confidence Shipping, is registered in Liberia, and she is operated by the Greece-based organization Third January Maritime. Both firms confirmed that they were unrelated to the United States. However, the vessel was previously owned by the Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management.