Viral video does not show aftermath of Houthi missile striking U.S. ship off Yemen Coast

A U.S.-owned container ship was struck by a missile fired by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen on Jan. 15. 

Tensions have been high in that area since the war between Israel and Hamas militants began in October. The Houthi, an Iranian-based militant group with cells across the Middle East, has pledged its support for Palestinians and has threatened to attack Israel. Some of the attacks the Houthi have carried out have been against U.S.-owned ships since the U.S. has dedicated resources backing Israel in the war.

After news of the missile strike was reported, a viral video posted to X claims to show the U.S. ship in flames in the aftermath of the missile strike. A few hours after it was posted, the video had received more than 150,000 views. 

“US Cargo ship hit near Yemen Coast,” an X post with the video says.

THE QUESTION

Does this video show the aftermath of a Houthi missile strike on a U.S. ship? 

THE SOURCES

• U.S. Central Command release from Jan. 15, 2024
• Sri Lanka Air Force footage from May 2021
• InVid and RevEye, footage forensics tools

THE ANSWER

No, this video does not show the aftermath of a Houthi missile strike on a U.S. ship. It was taken in Sri Lanka in 2021.

WHAT WE FOUND

Houthi rebels did fire a missile, striking a U.S.-owned container ship called the Gibraltar Eagle on Jan. 15 just off the coast of Yemen, U.S. officials confirmed.

But this video doesn’t show the aftermath of the missile attack, as the posts claim. The vessel that was hit on Jan. 15 is owned by Eagle Bulk Shipping, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement to the Associated Press, the company acknowledged the strike and said it caused “limited damage to a cargo hold but (the ship) is stable and is heading out of the area.” 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which operates in an area stretching from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia, also confirmed on X that the ship had “no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.” 

Using InVid to isolate the keyframes in the viral video and RevEye to conduct a reverse image search, VERIFY was able to trace the incident in the video to May 2021, when the X-Press Pearl, a cargo ship, caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka.

The same boat, white railing and water truck spraying on the blaze can be seen in this footage from Sri Lanka’s Air Force. 

The same boat also appears in footage distributed to news agencies by video licensing company Newsflare.

According to a BBC report from June 9, 2021, the X-Press Pearl sat off the coast of Sri Lanka burning for days before sinking. The ship was carrying chemicals and a chemical reaction was believed to be the cause of the fire. The BBC report said the chemicals aboard the ship were highly dangerous to the environment.

This is not the first time footage from the X-Press Pearl was used to spread false claims about an attack by Houthi militants. In December, several social media users shared similar footage falsely claiming the video showed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.