DUBAI: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels early Wednesday claimed the attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden, underlining the range of their weaponry and their campaign targeting shipping over the Israel-Hamas war.&nbsp;The attack on Monday on the Minervagracht was the most serious assault in months by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, which is some distance from the Red Sea, where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023.&nbsp;The attack also comes as Israel engages in a new ground offensive targeting Gaza City, as efforts to reach a ceasefire again hang in the balance. Meanwhile, the Mideast also remains on edge after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The Houthis separately threatened to &ldquo;employ all means and instruments available&rdquo; to target several American oil firms.&nbsp;The Houthis fired a cruise missile that targeted and struck the Minervagracht, a Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said.&nbsp;Saree accused the ship&#39;s owners, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, of violating &ldquo;the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.&rdquo; Initially, the US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center stated that the Minervagracht had no ties to Israel, but a note released on Tuesday indicated that the center was &ldquo;reviewing vessel affiliations for possible links to Israel.&rdquo;&nbsp;The attack wounded two mariners on board the Minervagracht, whose 19-member crew hailed from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine. They were forced to evacuate the ship after the strike inflicted substantial damage.&nbsp;A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said Tuesday the Minervagracht was on fire and adrift after the crew&rsquo;s rescue.&nbsp;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&rsquo;s targets have had tenuous links or no connections at all to Israel.&nbsp;The Houthi attack widens the area of the rebels&rsquo; recent assaults, as the last recorded attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before the Minervagracht came in August 2024.&nbsp;Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.&nbsp;The Houthis stopped their attacks on shipping and Israel itself during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense week-long campaign of airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.&nbsp;The Houthi campaign against shipping has killed at least eight mariners and seen four ships sunk.&nbsp;Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Houthis announced that they had imposed sanctions against multiple American oil companies, including Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil Corp., as well as individuals and two ships. The rebels have issued such designations in the past before launching attacks.

Houthis, Gulf of Aden, attacks of vessels, Yemen

Asia

The attack is 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.

Houthis claim missile attack on Dutch-flagged ship in Gulf of Aden

DUBAI: A missile attack by Yemen&rsquo;s Houthi rebels set a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, officials said, wounding two mariners and forcing its crew to abandon the damaged vessel.&nbsp;It was the most serious attack in the Gulf of Aden, some distance from the Red Sea, where the Iranian-backed Houthis sank two vessels in July.&nbsp;While the rebels did not claim the assault on the Minervagracht, they had threatened to strike ships as part of their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, particularly as Israel squeezes in on Gaza City in a new ground offensive. Meanwhile, the Mideast also remains on edge after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.&nbsp;The Minervagracht had been targeted on Sept. 23 in an unsuccessful attack in the Gulf of Aden, which connects to the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. On Monday, a missile launch seen by some in Yemen apparently struck the Minervagracht.&nbsp;Spliethoff, the ship&#39;s owner, described the strike as &ldquo;inflicting substantial damage to the ship.&rdquo; A helicopter evacuated the ship&#39;s 19 crew members, of whom two were wounded, it added.&nbsp;A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said early Tuesday that the Minervagracht &ldquo;is on fire and adrift&rdquo; after the crew&#39;s rescue. It identified the ship&#39;s crew as coming from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka and Ukraine, with one wounded and stable and another severely wounded and airlifted to Djibouti for medical care.&nbsp;The French military&rsquo;s Maritime Information, Cooperation and Awareness Centre identified the Houthis as carrying out the attack.&nbsp;The Houthis wait hours and even days to claim their assaults and have not yet done so.&nbsp;The rebels 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.&nbsp;However, the group&#39;s past targets have had little or no connection to Israel. The US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Centre earlier said that the Minervagracht had &ldquo;no Israeli affiliations.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Houthi attack widens the area of the rebels&#39; recent assaults, as the last recorded attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before the Minervagracht came in August 2024.&nbsp;Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.&nbsp;The Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense week-long campaign of airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels. They sank two others earlier in the campaign.

Middle East

: A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, wounding two mariners and forcing its crew to abandon the damaged vessel.

Missile attack on cargo ship off Yemen wounds 2 and prompts crew to abandon vessel

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that 24 Pakistani crew members of an LPG tanker targeted by an Israeli drone off Yemen&rsquo;s coast have been released by Houthi forces, calling it a breakthrough secured &ldquo;when hope was fading.&rdquo;&nbsp;The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier caught fire on September 17 after being struck while docked at Ras Al-Esa port, under Houthi control. &ldquo;An LPG tanker with 27 crew members (24 Pakistanis, including Captain Mukhtar Akbar; two Sri Lankans; and one Nepali) was attacked by an Israeli drone,&rdquo; Naqvi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.&nbsp;&ldquo;One LPG tank exploded, and the crew managed to extinguish the fire. The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats, and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship.&rdquo;&nbsp;Naqvi said the tanker and its multinational crew had now been released and were &ldquo;out of Yemeni waters.&rdquo; He praised Pakistani officials in Saudi Arabia and Oman for negotiating their safe passage.&nbsp;The foreign office also confirmed the incident, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s embassies in the region had been in constant contact with Yemeni authorities and with the families of the Pakistani crew.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Efforts were made to set the tanker underway again,&rdquo; spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said. &ldquo;Today, the LPG tanker has departed port and is making way out of Yemeni waters. The entire crew, including Pakistani nationals, is safe and sound.&rdquo;&nbsp;Local media had earlier reported the Pakistanis were &ldquo;stranded&rdquo; following the fire, which left the ship immobilized at port for several days.&nbsp;The episode adds to instability in the Red Sea region, where attacks and blockades have frequently disrupted energy shipments. Yemen itself is not a major exporter of LPG, but imports remain vital for households in the conflict-hit country.

Security

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed 24 Pakistanis aboard an LPG tanker targeted by an Israeli drone in Yemen were safely freed, with the vessel and crew now out of Yemeni waters.

Articles tagged with "Yemen"

Houthis claim missile attack on Dutch-flagged ship in Gulf of Aden

Missile attack on cargo ship off Yemen wounds 2 and prompts crew to abandon vessel

Islamabad says 24 Pakistanis freed after Israeli drone strike on LPG tanker in Yemen