Yemen's Houthi militias early Wednesday claimed the attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden.
The attack Monday on the Minervagracht was the most serious assault in months by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, which is some distance from the Red Sea where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023.
The militias fired a cruise missile that targeted and struck the Minervagracht, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said.
Saree accused the ship's owners, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, of violating “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
Initially, the US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center said the Minervagracht had no ties to Israel, but a note Tuesday said the center was “reviewing vessel affiliations for possible links to Israel.”
The attack wounded two mariners on board the Minervagracht. The crew were forced to evacuate the ship after the strike inflicted substantial damage.
A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said Tuesday the Minervagracht was “on fire and adrift” after the crew’s rescue.
“Upon receipt of an urgent distress request from the vessel’s master, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES initiated an immediate response to save all 19 crew members (Russian, Ukraine, Philippines, Sri Lanka) among which are two seriously wounded,” it said.
The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on over 100 ships and on Israel in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
However, some of the group’s targets have had tenuous links or no connections at all to Israel.
The Houthi campaign against shipping has killed at least eight mariners and seen four ships sunk.
