Houthis say they attacked cargo ship flying Dutch flag, claiming it “broke the ban”
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
The Houthis said they were responsible for the attack on the Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht, which caused a fire on board.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree added that they carried out Monday’s attack with a cruise missile.
Saree said the Houthis attacked the Minervagracht because its owner had violated a “ban on entry” to Israeli ports.
On Monday, European maritime sources confirmed that the Dutch cargo ship that was attacked had gone adrift about 128 nautical miles southeast of the port of Aden, in southern Yemen.
The European “Asbids” mission said: “The commercial cargo ship (MV MINERVAGRACHT), which caught fire after being attacked in the Gulf of Aden, has drifted and is underway at sea after its crew lost control of it.”
It added that the general cargo vessel flying the Dutch flag had not requested protection from the European naval force operating in the area.
“Asbids” said it is conducting an ongoing assessment of the situation in coordination with European and regional authorities, adding, “We stand ready to facilitate any measures regarding the ship and its crew.”
Spliethoff, the Amsterdam-based operator of the ship, said in a statement that the Minervagracht was sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Aden at the time of the attack, which caused severe damage and sparked a fire.
Rescue teams evacuated the vessel’s 19-member crew, who are from Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. “Asbids” said one crew member was in stable condition, while another sustained serious injuries and was being transferred to Djibouti.
The French military’s Maritime Information, Cooperation and Awareness Center (MICA Center) said Monday’s attack on the Minervagracht, owned by Dutch company Spliethoff, was the second in a week. It said the Houthis had previously targeted the ship on Sept. 23 with a missile, but the vessel was not hit and the projectile fell approximately two nautical miles from its position in the Gulf of Aden.
Since 2023, the Houthis have regularly launched attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden tied to the occupation, in response to what they describe as aggression and a campaign of extermination against Gaza.
