Yemen
In a recent incident in the Red Sea, a tanker was boarded in Central Park by gunmen believed to be Houthi rebels
Sun, November 26, 2023, 6:55 p.m. GMT
Another Israeli-linked merchant ship has been attacked – likely by Yemen’s Houthi rebels – highlighting the increased threat to shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The latest attack, confirmed by U.S. officials, occurred against a commercial tanker called Central Park, owned by Zodiac Maritime and operated by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The tanker left the Moroccan port of Safi and passed through the Suez Canal on November 22nd. It appears to have been boarded by eight unknown gunmen traveling on two boats in the Gulf of Aden, a sea not normally under Houthi control.
On Sunday evening, a US official told AFP that US and coalition forces had responded and that “the crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe.” Another US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Portal that the warship USS Mason had responded and the tanker was free.
Zodiac Maritime said: “Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew members on board. The Turkish-led ship has a multinational crew consisting of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The ship has a full load of phosphoric acid on board.” No liability statement was immediately made.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.
Last Sunday, the Galaxy Leader was seized off Yemen’s west coast and diverted to the nearby Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah. Videos were broadcast showing a helicopter landing Yemeni troops on the cargo ship, the ship being hijacked and Houthi rebels dancing ceremoniously afterwards. They waved the flags of Yemen and Palestine. Later there was footage of a Yemeni navy captain telling the captured crew: “Welcome to Yemen. You are our guests here. We consider you all Yemenis.”
Houthi involvement in an attack on a Zim Israel container ship is less clear, but it appears they were targeted while en route from Israel to China on Friday. In a cryptic reference to X, the Yemeni army spokesman wrote the words Zim and nothing more. The ship was last tracked in the Red Sea and there are conflicting reports about its status. There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and considered part of the “Axis of Resistance,” have also fired cruise missiles at Israel, but these were intercepted by the US Navy or Israel itself. The Houthis are fighting a United Nations-backed government based in Aden that is backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since 2017, Emirati-backed Yemeni armed groups have seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb area and pushed the Houthis to withdraw. The flashpoint area was believed to have shifted to the southern Red Sea, where the Houthis still hold control of Hodeida.
The latest attack was revealed by UK Maritime Trade Operations, which said the boat was boarded 53 nautical miles southwest of Aden. It recommended that ships exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious activity.
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