Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired several missiles and drones against two US Navy destroyers and three US supply ships transiting the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
The attack shows that the group sees no reason to halt its year-long campaign against Western shipping in the Red Sea, even after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The action also provides further proof that the rebels’ potential to carry out attacks against shipping in the area remains undiminished, despite repeated US claims to be degrading it with airstrikes.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree named the three supply ships as the 2,500-teu boxship Maersk Saratoga (built 2004), 49,700-dwt MR2 tanker Stena Impeccable (built 2017) and 50,600-dwt supramax bulker Liberty Grace (built 2001).
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to carry out their military operations at an escalating pace in the declared maritime operations zone against the Israeli and American enemy and it will not stop except by stopping the aggression and lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip,” Saree said on Sunday.
In a statement early on Monday, the US military confirmed a multiple Houthi strike against three unnamed “US-owned, operated, flagged merchant vessels”, adding that none of them suffered any damage.
According to US Central Command, destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane “successfully engaged and defeated” three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three air drones and one anti-ship cruise missile.
Saree, by contrast, had said late on Sunday that the Houthis fired 16 “ballistic and winged missiles and a drone” in “accurate and direct” strikes.
It is not immediately clear if the US convoy actually managed to complete the voyage or aborted it on account of the attack. As of early 3 December, all three vessels were at Djibouti anchorage.
In a similar incident two months ago, the Yemeni group launched 23 missiles and drones against three US warships in the Red Sea.
The Pentagon eventually confirmed the “complex” attack against its ships on 27 September, adding that none of them came to harm.
The three vessels named by Saree have clear links to the US and therefore match the vessel profile usually targeted by the Houthis.
All are flying the US flag and are employed by US entities.
This is the second time since March that the Houthis claim to have attacked the Maersk Saratoga, which is listed with US-registered Maersk Line and most probably came to the Gulf of Aden on 1 December from the Arabian Sea.
The last available signal of the Stena Impeccable before the incident showed the ship in the Indian Ocean last month.
TradeWinds reported last year that the Stena Impeccable is among three vessels in a joint venture between Sweden’s Stena Bulk and US operator Crowley. The trio is employed by the US Maritime Administration under its tanker security programme, in which vessels transport fuel supplies in times of need for the Department of Defense.
The Stena Impeccable was to be manned with American crews when it entered the programme.
The third ship the Houthis attacked on Sunday, the Liberty Grace, is listed with US-based Liberty Maritime Corp. Its last visible signal before the incident was in the Arabian Gulf 10 days ago.
Managers at Maersk, Crowley and Liberty did not immediately respond to messages by email or phone.
