The American military said its warships fought off attacks by Houthi militia on three U.S.-flagged merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden.
Destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden Nov. 30-Dec. 1, according to a statement Monday from United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM said the warships were escorting three U.S.-owned, -operated and -flagged merchant ships in the Gulf south of the Red Sea where Houthis have laid siege to commercial shipping they claim is linked to Israel. There were no injuries and no damage to any vessels.
“The destroyers successfully engaged and defeated three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems, and one anti-ship cruise missile, ensuring the safety of the ships and their personnel, as well as civilian vessels and their crews,” CENTCOM said.
The U.S. forces, along with those of the European Union, have been deployed to the region to protect against attacks by Iran-backed Houthis, a Muslim fundamentalist militia based in Yemen.
Houthi media identified the targets, which it claimed were supporting the U.S. military, as the containership Maersk Saratoga, bulk vessel Liberty Grace and Stena Impeccable, a product tanker.
According to a schedule on the website of Maersk Line, the U.S.-subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk, the 2,096-TEU Maersk Saratoga is on a shuttle service between Salalah, Oman, and Djibouti.
The Crowley-managed Stena Impeccable is part of the Maritime Administration’s Tanker Security Program. The program ensures a commercial fleet can readily transport liquid fuel supplies in times of need for the Department of Defense.
The Houthis said “the strikes were accurate and direct,” but they offered no further details.
Developments in Syria’s civil war are also weighing on Red Sea shipping. The Houthis over the weekend said Israel was backing the rebels who took over Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
The Gulf of Aden-Red Sea-Suez Canal is a key trade route for vessels sailing between Asia, the Mediterranean and U.S. East Coast ports. While the route is still plied by local carriers and ships, the attacks have forced most major container lines to divert services away from the region and around the Horn of Africa.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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