Houthis in failed attack on U.S.-flagged Maersk Yorktown

Photo: EU NAVFOR ASPIDES

After a period with few reports of Houthi activity, the Iranian-backed group has resumed its targeting of merchant shipping, with Al Arabiya and other regional news outlets quoting the Houthi’s military spokesman as saying the group had attacked the “U.S. ship Maersk Yorktown and an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden and Israeli ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean.”

According to U.S. Central Command: “At 11:51 a.m. (Sanaa time) on April 24, a coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden. The ASBM was likely targeting the MV Maersk Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 U.S. and four Greek crew members. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.“

The coalition vessel that took out the Houthi missile targeting the Maersk Yorktown was the U.K. Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond, using its Sea Viper missile system.

“Separately, between 12:07 pm and 1:26 pm, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) successfully engaged and destroyed four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” says CENTCOM..

“It was determined that the ASBM and UAVs presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.”

While X, formerly Twitter, is full of claims of direct hits on the MSC Veracruz, as this is written a Marine Traffic vessel tracking report indicates that the vessel is “underway and using engines.”

Meantime, EU NAVFOR ASPIDES reported that, today, the Greek frigate Hydra, providing protection to a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Arabia, engaged two UAVs posing an imminent threat to the freedom of navigation. The first was shot down, while the second changed its course. The action was effective in avoiding any damage to seafarers and merchant shipping.

All of this seems to confirm that the “new normal” is in full force. Shipowners continuing to trade in Houthi-threatened areas are by now taking a calculated risk. The refusal of others to take that risk is reflected in continued significantly reduced transits through the Suez Canal, as indicated in IMF Portwatch data.