The tanker Central Park is seen in an undated photo released by Zodiac Maritime. Maritime zodiac sign
- An unknown group of attackers seized an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of Yemen on Sunday.
- A U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call and secured the impounded vessel, an official said.
- Zodiac Maritime, which manages the ship, said the seizure was a “suspected piracy incident.”
Authorities said attackers seized an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of Yemen on Sunday. Although no group immediately claimed responsibility, it came after at least two other sea strikes in recent days were linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park in the Gulf of Aden, which is managed by Zodiac Maritime, the company and private intelligence agency Ambrey said. An American defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, confirmed to the Associated Press that the attack took place.
Zodiac called the seizure “a suspected piracy incident.”
“Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew members on board,” Zodiac said in a statement. “The Turkish-led ship has a multinational crew consisting of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The ship is carrying a full load of phosphoric acid.”
A U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call from the tanker and secured the ship, U.S. officials told Portal.
Zodiac described the vessel as belonging to Clumvez Shipping Inc., although other records directly linked Zodiac as the owner. London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. British company filings listed two men with the surname Ofer as current and former directors of Clumvez Shipping, including Daniel Guy Ofer, also a director at Zodiac Maritime.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. Nearby Aden is held by forces allied with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels for years. In theory, this part of the Gulf of Aden is controlled by these forces and is relatively far from Houthi-controlled territory in the country. Somali pirates are also not known to operate in this area.
The U.S. defense official said it appeared “an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals” had seized the ship.
A senior US official told Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin that five gunmen were involved in the attempted kidnapping.
Crew members of the Central Park tanker locked themselves in the ship’s secure room for safety reasons, the official told Griffin. The gunmen were unable to break down the door.
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According to Griffin, the official also stated that a Japanese U.S. Navy destroyer assisted, while two Chinese Navy warships nearby did not provide assistance.
The gunmen exited the vehicle and sailed back to the shores of Yemen as U.S. Navy personnel made the arrest, Griffin reported.
“U.S. and coalition forces responded to a distress call from the M/V Central Park. The crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe,” a US defense official told Business Insider.
The official did not address questions about the details of the incident, including whether five gunmen were involved in the attack and whether there were Chinese navy ships near the area.
Zodiac Maritime has previously been targeted as part of a broader, years-long shadow war between Iran and Israel. In 2021, a drone strike that the United States and other Western nations believe was carried out by Iran killed two crew members aboard the Zodiac oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which warns sailors in the Middle East, had previously warned sailors that “two black and white boats carrying eight people in military clothing” had been spotted in the area. A further warning was issued saying radio traffic indicated a possible attack had taken place before the seizure was confirmed.
According to the UKMTO, the ship was more than 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of the Yemeni coast, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Djibouti and about 110 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route .
The Central Park seizure came after a container ship, CMA CGM Symi, owned by another Israeli billionaire, was attacked by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday. Iran has not admitted carrying out the attack or responded to questions from the AP about the attack.
Both Symi and Central Park had been behaving as if they were under threat in recent days.
According to MarineTraffic.com data analyzed by the AP, the ships had turned off their automatic identification system trackers. For safety reasons, ships should keep their AIS active, but crews will turn it off if they appear as a target. In Central Park’s case, the ship had last transmitted four days ago after leaving the Suez Canal south into the Red Sea.
The attacks come as global shipping is increasingly targeted in the weeks-long war that threatens to expand into a larger regional conflict – even as a ceasefire has halted fighting and Hamas is exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
As the war between Israel and Hamas, which began with the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attack, raged on, the Houthis hijacked a vehicle transport ship in the Red Sea off Yemen. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the occupation of Central Park.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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