Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for attack on Dutch-flagged ship

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ADEN (Reuters) -Yemen’s Houthi militants claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht, which caught fire in the Gulf of Aden.

The Iran-aligned group has launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Houthis’ military spokesperson said Monday’s attack was carried out by a cruise missile.

The strike injured two sailors and forced a helicopter evacuation of the ship’s 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel’s operator.

Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff said on Monday Minervagracht was in international waters in the Gulf of Aden when it was hit, suffering substantial damage and a fire.

The Houthis said they attacked Minervagracht because its owner violated “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine”.

It was the first Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1, when they targeted Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray near Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

In July, the Houthis attacked and sank the Magic Seas bulk carrier and Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea.

The last significant Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden was on the Singapore-flagged Lobivia container ship in July 2024.

(Reporting by Hatem Maher and Mohammed Ghobari; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates)