Missile attack on cargo ship off Yemen leaves 2 wounded, crew evacuated
Sanaa, Yemen: A missile strike by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set the Dutch-flagged cargo vessel Minervagracht ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, injuring two crew members and compelling the remaining crew to abandon ship.
The attack, which left the vessel “on fire and adrift,” marked one of the most serious incidents in the Gulf of Aden, extending Houthi assaults beyond their usual focus on the Red Sea. According to European naval force Operation Aspides, one mariner was severely wounded and airlifted to Djibouti, while another sustained minor injuries.
The Minervagracht, owned by Dutch firm Spliethoff, had already been targeted unsuccessfully on September 23. The company confirmed the latest strike inflicted “substantial damage” on the ship, which had 19 crew members from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine.
While the Houthis have not formally claimed responsibility, the French military’s Maritime Information, Cooperation and Awareness Center identified the group as carrying out the attack. The rebels often delay acknowledging assaults but have repeatedly threatened global shipping as part of their response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthi campaign has already seen over 100 missile and drone attacks against commercial vessels, despite many of them having no links to Israel. The US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Centre confirmed the Minervagracht had no Israeli ties.
Monday’s strike highlights the widening reach of Houthi operations. The last reported attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before this was in August 2024. Their assaults over the past two years have severely disrupted Red Sea shipping routes, which previously carried goods worth an estimated USD 1 trillion annually.
The group’s attacks temporarily paused during a ceasefire but resumed following renewed hostilities. In July, the Houthis sank two vessels, killing at least four crew members and reportedly detaining others. They had also sunk two ships earlier in their campaign.
The strike underlines escalating maritime risks in the region, widening the Houthis’ area of operations and threatening vital global trade routes.
(With AP inputs)