/Reuters Agency
Yemen’s Houthi militants claimed responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht, which caught fire in the Gulf of Aden.
This Iran-aligned group has carried out numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they consider linked to Israel, in what they describe as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in the face of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Houthi military spokesman said the attack on Monday, September 29, was carried out with a cruise missile.
The assault injured two sailors and forced the helicopter evacuation of all 19 crew members from the ship, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the ship’s operator.
The Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff reported on Monday, September 29, that the Minervagracht was in international waters of the Gulf of Aden when it was hit, sustaining considerable damage and a fire.
The Houthis stated they attacked the Minervagracht because its owner violated “the ban on entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority reported that on Tuesday, September 30, they provided assistance to the survivors of the Minervagracht. The unit was transporting 1,077.81 metric tons of general cargo, including vehicles, trailers, and containers.
This was the first Houthi attack on a commercial vessel since September 1, when they targeted the Israeli-owned oil tanker Scarlet Ray near the Saudi Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
In July, the Houthis attacked and sank the bulk carrier Magic Seas and the cargo ship Eternity C in the Red Sea.
The last significant Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden was against the Singapore-flagged container ship Lobivia in July 2024.
