Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis attacked and damaged a Swiss-owned container ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday.
The vessel, MSC Sky II, operated by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. was about 90 miles southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the Houthis fired two missiles, one of which hit the ship.
Initial reports indicate there were no injuries. The ship did not request assistance and continued on its way.
MSC confirmed that the ship was attacked on Monday while travelling close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Singapore towards Djibouti.
“The missile caused a small fire that has been extinguished while no crew were injured. She is currently continuing her journey to Djibouti and will arrive today for further assessment.”
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant group has been targeting merchant and military vessels in the Red Sea as part of its support for Hamas, which is conducting a war against Israel in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have declared that they will not stop hitting ships until Israel stops hostilities.
The attacks on vessels forced merchant ships to sail around southern Africa rather than via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, driving up freight prices. Many oil companies also diverted their cargoes.
At the weekend, another merchant ship called the Rubymar sank about a fortnight after being hit by a Houthi missile. It was the first vessel sunk by the Houthis and underscored the environmental risks associated with those incidents.
On Monday, the US military reported two other incidents. It stated that the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that landed in the Red Sea without damaging any vessels. Later, US forces struck two anti-ship cruise missiles that “presented an imminent threat to merchant ships and US Navy ships in the region.”
