Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile attack on Dutch-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden

In this Jan. 12, 2025, photo from Mark Prummel, the Netherlands-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht is seen off Delfzijl, the Netherlands. (Mark Prummel via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility early on Wednesday for an attack this week that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden, underlining the range of their weaponry and their campaign targeting shipping over the Israel-Hamas war.

The attack on Monday on the Minervagracht was the most serious assault in months by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, which is some distance from the Red Sea where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023.

It came as Israel engages in a new ground offensive targeting Gaza City and efforts to reach a ceasefire again hang in the balance. Meanwhile, the Middle East also remains on edge after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The Houthis separately threatened to “employ all means and instruments available” to target several American oil firms.

The Houthis fired a cruise missile that targeted and struck the Minervagracht, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said.

Saree accused the ship’s owners, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, of violating “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.” Initially, the U.S. Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center said the Minervagracht had no ties to Israel, but a note Tuesday said the center was “reviewing vessel affiliations for possible links to Israel.”

The attack wounded two mariners on board the Minervagracht, whose 19-member crew hailed from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka and Ukraine. They were forced to evacuate the ship after the strike inflicted substantial damage.

Spliethoff said Wednesday it was working with “international authorities and salvage experts to safeguard and secure the vessel.” A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said Tuesday the Minervagracht was on fire and adrift after the crew’s rescue.

“We would again like to express our deepest concern over this week’s incident which was a direct attack on our innocent seafarers and a breach of the right of free navigation,” Spliethoff said in a statement.

The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on over 100 ships and on Israel in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. However, some of the group’s targets have had tenuous links or no connections at all to Israel.

The Houthi attack widens the area of the rebels’ recent assaults, as the last recorded attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before the Minervagracht came in August 2024.

Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about US$1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.

The Houthis stopped their attacks on shipping and Israel itself during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.

The Houthi campaign against shipping has killed at least eight mariners and seen four ships sunk.

Meanwhile, the Houthis said Wednesday they had levied sanctions against multiple American oil companies, including Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp., as well as individuals and two ships. The rebels in the past have issued such designations before launching attacks.

By Jon Gambrell