Old photo of New Zealand oil disaster falsely passed off as Houthi attack

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels have attacked ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles since the Gaza war broke out. A photo of containers balancing precariously on a cargo ship that appeared in posts about the attacks has nothing to do with that. The New Zealand Navy published the image in a Facebook post about a ship that ran aground in October 2011.

“Yemeni players have scored another goal by attacking Israeli ships in the Red Sea,” says a Bengali Facebook post shared on May 8, 2024.

The Houthis, who control large parts 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 rebel attacks, backed by Iran, led to retaliatory strikes by American and British forces and the formation of an international coalition to protect vital shipping routes.

The photo was shared in similar Facebook posts Here and here.

Disaster in New Zealand

A reverse image search on Google revealed the image, which was posted on the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Facebook page on October 5, 2020 (archived link).

According to the Facebook post, the photo shows the container ship Rena, which was stranded off the coast of New Zealand after running aground on a reef in 2011.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the mistakenly shared image (left) and the Royal New Zealand Navy image (right):

The Liberian-flagged ship released an oil slick that killed thousands of seabirds after it penetrated the offshore reef and polluted beaches in the North Island’s pristine Bay of Plenty.

The accident sparked public outrage and led to a dangerous salvage operation in which crews struggled to pump remaining oil from the Rena’s fuel tanks while heavy seas pounded the stricken ship, causing deep cracks in its hull.

The ship’s captain and second officer were both jailed in 2012 for their role in New Zealand’s largest marine pollution disaster.

AFP released footage of waves lapping around the stranded ship as it tipped onto its side.

AFP has previously verified photos and videos that were falsely portrayed online as Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

The war in the Gaza Strip broke out after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas claimed lives at least 35,900 People in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, the health ministry of the Hamas-controlled area said.