Containership Hit Far in Arabian Sea; Houthis Claim Attack
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
JERUSALEM — A Portuguese-flagged containership came under attack by a drone in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea, corresponding with a claim by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that they assaulted the ship there, authorities said April 30.
The attack on the MSC Orion, occurring some 375 miles off the coast of Yemen, appeared to be the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November. It suggests the Houthis — or potentially their main benefactor, Iran — may have the ability to strike into the distances of the Indian Ocean as the rebels previously threatened in their ongoing campaign over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attack happened April 26, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, which operates as part of the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces in the Mideast. After the attack, the crew discovered debris apparently from a drone on board, the center said.
The ship “sustained only minor damage and all crew on board are safe,” the center said. Ship-tracking satellite data analyzed by the Associated Press put the containership, bound for Salalah, Oman, in the area of the attack April 27.
The MSC Orion has been associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. It was operating on behalf of the Mediterranean Shipping Co., a Geneva, Switzerland-based firm that ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics Top 50 list of the largest global freight companies.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing above or go here for more info
RELATED: The ‘No-Fail’ Mission to Protect the Red Sea Isn’t Working
Zodiac referred questions to MSC, which did not respond to a request for comment.
The Joint Maritime Information Center assesses “that MSC Orion was likely targeted due to [its] perceived Israeli affiliation,” the center said in a report.
The attack immediately raised questions about how the Houthis could have carried out an assault hundreds of miles from the shores of Yemen on a moving target. Their primary area of attack so far has been in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the two waterways key for international trade. Those are close to Yemen’s shoreline — unlike the site of the MSC Orion attack.
RELATED: US Trucking Faces Downstream Effects From Suez Canal Attacks
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
Houthi attacks had dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. But the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week.
