A US warship rescued an Israeli-linked tanker that had been attacked by “armed individuals” in the Gulf of Aden, the US military has said, in the latest such incident to underscore the heightened risk to shipping in the region.
The USS Mason responded to a distress call by the Central Park tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday and demanded the ship’s release, US Central Command said.
“Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender. The crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe.”
The US did not say who the attackers were, describing them as an “unknown entity”. However it added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the “general location” of the two ships as the Mason was “concluding its response” to the distress call. The missiles landed about 10 nautical miles away, it said.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker, which is owned and operated by Zodiac Maritime, run by the Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer, if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, according to maritime security firm Ambrey.
The Gulf of Aden, not normally seen as seas controlled by the Houthis, is connected to the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
The tanker sailed from the Moroccan port of Safi and passed through the Suez canal on 22 November.
Zodiac Maritime said: “Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard. The Turkish-captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The vessel is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid.” No claim of responsibility was immediately made.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on 7 October.
On 22 November, the Galaxy Leader was seized off Yemen’s western coast and diverted to the close Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah. Videos of a helicopter landing Yemeni troops on to the cargo ship, the capture of the vessel and then Houthi rebels dancing in celebration were broadcast. They waved the flags of Yemen and Palestine. Later there was footage of a Yemeni naval captain telling the captured crew: “Welcome to Yemen. You are our guests here. We consider you all to be Yemenis.”
Houthi involvement in an attack on a container ship owned by Zim Israel is less clearcut but it appears to have been targeted on Friday while sailing from Israel to China. In a cryptic reference on X, the Yemen army spokesperson wrote the words Zim and nothing further. The ship was last tracked in the Red Sea and there were conflicting reports as to its status. There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and seen as part of the “axis of resistance”, have also fired cruise missiles at Israel but they have been intercepted by the US navy, or Israel itself. The Houthis are fighting a UN-backed government that is based in Aden and is supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since 2017, Emirati-backed Yemen’s armed groups have taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb area, pushing the Houthis to withdraw. The flashpoint area was thought to have moved to the southern Red Sea, where the Houthis are still in control of Hodeidah.
The latest attack was revealed by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which said the boat was boarded 53 nautical miles south-west of Aden. It advised vessels to exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious activity.
