Urgent! Houthi Rebels Attack MSC and Maersk Container Ships.

On April 24th, local time, a spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi rebels, Yahya Saree, announced that their naval forces had carried out multiple attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The targets included American and Israeli vessels, as well as a U.S. Navy destroyer.

According to Saree's statement, the Houthi forces successfully struck the American container ship Maersk Yorktown, which was navigating through the Gulf of Aden, with a missile that hit its target accurately. Additionally, the Houthis claimed to have attacked the Israeli container ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean, achieving a direct hit. They also attacked a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, although the specific time and the name of the targeted destroyer were not disclosed. In his statement, Saree emphasized that the attacks were carried out using missiles and drones, but did not reveal the exact times of these three attacks or the name of the U.S. destroyer involved.

On the same day, the Maersk Yorktown, sailing under the American flag, was attacked by Houthi forces in the waters of the Gulf of Aden. At the time, the ship had 18 American and 4 Greek crew members onboard. The captain reported an explosion occurred near the ship in the water, but both the vessel and its crew were reported to be safe. The UK Maritime Trade Office (UKMTO) also issued a report on this ship attack, confirming it took place 72 nautical miles east-southeast of Djibouti Port and highlighting the safety of the vessel and its crew.

The Maersk Yorktown, built in 2004, is a container ship with a capacity of 2096 TEU, deployed by Maersk on the Serale to Djibouti route. Data indicates that the Maersk Yorktown arrived at Djibouti from Serale on April 20 and left Djibouti Port on the evening of April 22. The ship is currently anchored near Djibouti waters.

The MSC Veracruz, built in 2005, is a container ship with a capacity of 5060 TEU, flying the flag of the Madeira archipelago of Portugal. It is currently deployed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on the East Coast of the U.S. to India route. MSC Veracruz left Houston, USA, for Abu Dhabi on March 25 and is currently navigating the Arabian Sea. Since last November, the Houthi rebels have attacked over 80 commercial vessels, leading to a major rerouting of maritime traffic from Asia to Europe. According to the latest data from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), shipping traffic through the Suez Canal has decreased by 66% from mid-December to early April.

In their latest statement, the Houthis declared that they will continue to hinder Israeli ships from navigating to or heading towards ports in the occupied Palestinian territories in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean until the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted.