2 Merchant Ships Harassed Off Coast of Yemen

Jerusalem, 13 December, 2023 (TPS) -- Two ships were harassed by armed speed boats off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

The British organization, which fosters communication between the international maritime trade and naval security forces, did not identify the ships.

The UKMTO said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it had received a report of a small, armed boat approaching a merchant vessel near the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. After an exchange of fire, the small boat departed the area.

However, the merchant ship was then “hailed by an entity declaring itself as the Yemeni authorities, directing the vessel to alter its course to Yemen. The reporting vessel then sighted an explosion was sighted 200 meters astern. Crew members mustered in the emergency station, vessel and crew reported as safe,” the UKMTO said.

In the second incident, five or six armed speedboats pursued another merchant ship for 90 minutes in the Arabian Sea near Oman.

“The small boats have cleared the area, the vessel and crew are safe,” UKMTO said.

On Saturday, the Houthis announced that they would target every Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have recently targeted ships with Israeli owners—the Galaxy Leader, which was brought to the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, and the Central Park, whose hijacking was thwarted by USS Mason. During the hijacking of the Central Park, a missile was fired at the Mason from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

From bases along the Yemeni coast, Houthi rebels are able to threaten shipping in the Red Sea as vessels traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Saturday night that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that Jerusalem would take military action against the Houthis if the Americans did not act first.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have launched several ballistic and cruise missiles at the Jewish state.

Israel has bolstered its naval presence in the Red Sea area in response to the attacks.

Late last month, an Israeli-owned commercial vessel, the CMA CGM Symi, was attacked by an Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.

The Malta-flagged Symi was targeted by a “Shahed-136” drone while traveling in international waters. The “suicide” drone caused damage to the ship but no casualties among the crew.