Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted the MSC Darwin ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, as the group resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis also targeted several areas in Israel’s port city of Eilat, the group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Red Sea transit hit
The Liberian-flagged MSC Darwin VI ship was in the area of the attack, travelling between the ports of Aden and Djibouti, according to Refinitiv data.
Swiss-based MSC, which operates the world’s largest container line by fleet capacity, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters was not immediately able to confirm if that vessel was the MSC Darwin mentioned by the Houthis.
The Houthis since November have targeted more than four dozen ships, taking possession of one and sinking another.
Supply lines to Europe have taken a considerable hit as shipping firms take the longer route around Africa to get to ports in the UK and other European Countries.
Sainsbury’s experienced “a bit” of disruption to clothing supplies from December to March due to difficulties with shipping in the Red Sea, the British retailer’s chief executive Simon Roberts said on Thursday, reported Reuters.
CENTCOM operations
The barrage of assaults had eased in recent weeks amid US-led operations and a sharp drop in commercial vessel voyages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Earlier on Thursday, a ship’s captain reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a splash and smoke coming from the sea on Thursday around 15 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, Britain’s maritime agency said.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) added that the crew and vessel were safe and military authorities were supporting it.
