An image is being widely shared on social media platforms depicting smoke billowing from the vessel in the waters of a sea. Users on social media are fervently sharing this video claiming that a ship has been attacked off Yemen’s coast as reported by the UK.

Mario Nawfal who is known for sharing false news, posted this image on X(Twitter) and wrote: “UK reports a ship has been attacked off Yemen’s coast. U.S. coalition forces in the Red Sea are trying to counter these repeated Houthi attacks on ships”

The archive link can be seen here.

Furthermore, we found that several users shared this image with similar claims.

Fact-Check

To determine the reality of the above viral image, the DFRAC team reverse-searched it on Google. Meanwhile, the team found media reports by the news websites USA Today and Indian Express featuring the same image.  

According to a media report published by the news website USA Today in June 2019, a picture obtained from the Iranian News Agency ISNA reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from a Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the waters of the Gulf of Oman today, sending world oil prices soaring as Iran helped rescue stricken crew members.

Another media report by Indian Express from June 2019, also reported that the crew of the Norwegian-owned Front Altair abandoned ship in waters between the Gulf Arab states and Iran after a blast. A source told Reuters that the blast might have been from a magnetic mine. The ship was ablaze, sending a huge plume of smoke into the air, the news agency reported.

Conclusion

It is clear from DFRAC’s Fact-Check that the viral image claiming “UK reports a ship has been attacked off Yemen’s coast” is misleading as the image dates back to 2019 when Norwegian’s Front Altair tanker was attacked in the waters of Oman.

Analysis: Misleading