2023-12-31 20:57:09
The Dutch shipping giant Maersk suspends navigation through the Red Sea for 48 hoursfollowing one of its cargo ships was attacked twice in 24 hours by the Houthi rebels of Yemen -supported by Iran-, the company announced this Sunday (12/31/2023), which is now trying to investigate the incident and evaluate the security situation.
The attack was last of those carried out by Houthi militants in Yemenwho have attacked ships in the Red Sea to show their support for the terrorist organization Hamas.
Maersk confirmed that the container ship Maersk Hangzhou was hit by an object this Saturday night following having passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait en route from Singapore to Port Suez (Egypt). The ship was initially able to continue its course before four vessels approached, opened fire and attempted to board it, company sources said.
According to several agencies, the attack was successfully repelled with the help of a military helicopter and the ship’s security team. The crew is safe, according to the company.
American confrontation in the Red Sea
The US military had previously reported the incident and blamed the Houthi rebels pro-Iranians in Yemen of said attack.
He United States Naval Central Command (CENTCOM) announced this Sunday that it responded to an attack with fire of the Shiite Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and sank three of the attackers’ boats, marking the first victims of the Yemeni movement in a direct confrontation with US forces in this sea lane.
“On December 31 at 6:30 a.m. local time (3:30 GMT), the container ship Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting that it was under attack by four small Houthi vessels backed by Iran,” sources said.USAwhich leads the naval coalition created this month to guarantee international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al Mandeb Strait.
US forces, responding to distress calls from the Maersk Hangzhou, returned fire on the vessels, sinking three of the four attacking ships with no survivors, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. The fourth boat fled the area, according to what the agency published on its social networks.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday he had told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that Iran should help stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
“I have made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks, given its long-standing support for the Houthis,” Cameron said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the attacks “threaten innocent lives and the global economy.”
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