Heartstopping moment armed guards on container ship open fire on ‘Houthi kamikaze sea drone’ which then explodes in huge fireball as it nears its target

This is the harrowing moment armed guards on a container ship open fire on a Houthis kamikaze drone, causing it to explode in a massive fireball.

The video, posted by Navy Lookout on X, shows the large cargo ship sailing through the foggy Red Sea before the suspected Houthi kamikaze drone boat, packed with explosives, races towards it.

The small unmanned speedboat, believed to be remotely controlled by Houthi rebels, tears through the water as its Ukrainian crew prepares for a counterattack.

It is not clear where and when the images were taken exactly. Also, the name of the ship is not known.

The clip shows two armed crew members, dressed in protective gear, holding their firearms aloft, while another films the tense scenes on a mobile phone.

After crouching down and slipping through the ship’s metal railing, one of the crew members fires directly at the speeding boat before it bursts into an orange glow.

The crew members aboard the container ship open fire on the small boat before it explodes

The drone boat exploded in an orange glow and was believed to be unmanned and packed with explosives

The massive explosion sends thick, black clouds into the sky as the Ukrainian vessel continues its journey, leaving the smoking remains of a suspected Houthi drone in its wake.

However, this is not the first incident of this nature to occur in the Red Sea in recent weeks. Just last month, a video surfaced on social media showing a Houthi USV attacking a 750-foot Greek cargo ship flying a Liberian flag.

Although the Iran-backed rebel group has carried out USV attacks before, after attacking a ship in November following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, this incident marked the first time they have successfully attacked a ship.

The M/V Tutor was sailing through calm waters when the ship’s security personnel spotted a small boat approaching them at high speed.

The Houthi USV appeared to be carrying dummies. Maritime security firm Ambrey said: “Inspectors found three electronic switches connected to 25kg of C4 explosives – approximately 33.5kg TNT equivalent and 50kg TNT” on the boat.

But security personnel on board the cargo ship apparently took no action against the USV, as can be seen in the footage.

A crew member watched through binoculars, while two guards held their firearms aloft instead of pointing at the small boat.

The trio watched for about 30 seconds as the USV slowly approached, cutting off just before the explosive impact.

What can be seen is how the security personnel runs like crazy to the bridge and how the crew panics and tries to think of what to do next.

The Yemeni militant group has been using kamikaze drone boats for several years and pioneered the operational use of kamikaze USVs.

All that remained of the suspected kamikaze drone boat was a plume of smoke rising from the water’s surface

The most notable example is the attack by an unmanned, explosives-laden Houthi USV on the Saudi frigate Al Madinah in 2017. This was the first confirmed use of the unmanned boat weapon.

Former U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and Directory of Navy Staff said Defense News when he became concerned that the weapon “might be in the hands of the Houthis.”

“That is not an easy thing to develop. There have been many terrorist groups that have tried to develop that, it is not something that was just invented by the Houthis. There is clearly support from others, so that is problematic,” he said.

But despite continued efforts by the US and allies to take out Houthi drones and US warplanes, they have stepped up their attacks on ships.

During the months-long American campaign in the region, the Navy faced the fiercest maritime fighting since World War II, with attacks on merchant ships and warships taking place almost daily.

Just two days after the Tutor was attacked, they targeted the M/V Verbena, a Ukrainian cargo ship, in two separate attacks, CENTCOM said.

The Houthis claim their attacks target ships with ties 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 from the US Defense Intelligence Agency found that container traffic through the Red Sea has fallen by 90 percent since December due to the attacks.

As much as 15 percent of global maritime traffic passes through this corridor.

“It is regrettable that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply doing their job, the 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 stop now,” the report said.