Houthi rebels continue to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea

Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk said it would suspend all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice. German container line Hapag Lloyd said it was considering a similar move.

Houthis continue to attack the Maersk cargo ship operating in the sea. Image 1 — Commercial ships have been frequently attacked while passing through the Red Sea in recent times. Photo: Reuters

US Central Command said a drone struck one of the Liberian-flagged ships, the Al Jasrah, causing a fire that was eventually extinguished.

The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles in the second attack, one of which hit the Liberian-flagged MSC Palatium III, causing a fire. A US warship, the Mason, responded to a distress call from the Palatium III later.

Earlier in the day, the US Central Command said the MSC Alanya was moving north in the southern Red Sea and that Houthi forces threatened to attack the ship and demanded that it turn around and head south.

“No injuries were reported from any of the three vessels attacked, but this latest attack is yet another demonstration of the significant risk to international shipping posed by the Houthis’ actions,” the statement said.

Houthis continue to attack the Maersk cargo ship operating in the sea. Image 2 — Map showing the seas surrounding Yemen. Graphic photo: AP

The Houthis said in a statement that they fired missiles at two ships - the MSC Alanya and the MSC Palatium III. Their statement did not mention the Al Jasrah.

The militant group added that both ships were headed for Israel. It said it wanted to support Palestinians as Israeli forces stepped up attacks against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

However, the Alanya and Palatium III are both scheduled to have Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as their destination, according to data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.

"We will continue to block all ships from entering Israeli ports until the food and medicine needed by the people of the Gaza Strip are brought in," the Houthi statement said. "We guarantee all ships sailing to all ports in the world except Israeli ports."

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, AP)

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