US forces sink ‘Houthi’ boats in Red Sea after attack on Maersk vessel

Global shipping giant Maersk is suspending operations in the Red Sea for 48 hours after the attack.

The United States military says it has sunk three boats waging an attack on a container ship in the Red Sea as it continues its patrol mission to counter threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Helicopters from two US warships – the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely – shot at the “Iranian-backed Houthi small boats” in self-defence on Sunday morning while responding to an SOS call from the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Hangzhou, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The US helicopters sunk three of the boats, killing several of their crew, it said. A fourth boat escaped.

Maersk Hangzhou issued its distress call after it was fired at by the Houthi boats, which came as close as 20 meters and also tried to board it, CENTCOM said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

As the US helicopters responded, they were also shot at by the Houthi boats, prompting them to return fire, added the CENTCOM statement.

It was the second alleged Houthi attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in less than 24 hours. Late on Saturday night, CENTCOM said it shot down two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis as it responded to a separate missile strike on Maersk Hangzhou.

In the wake of the attacks, global shipping giant Maersk, which owns the vessel, said it was suspending its operations in the Red Sea for 48 hours, highlighting the continued threat to commercial vessels in the region.

The Houthi group has yet to comment on the incidents.

The presence of the US-led coalition at first seemed to restore some confidence in the route, with several large firms announcing plans to resume operations there.

However, Houthi attacks on passing vessels have continued, with the group increasingly using antiship ballistic missiles to target vessels, US Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told The Associated Press news agency.

“We are clear-eyed that the Houthi reckless attacks will likely continue,” Cooper said.

Red Sea attacks

The Houthi strikes come as anger grows throughout the Middle East over the devastation in Gaza, where at least 21,822 Palestinians, including 8,800 children, have been killed by Israel military attacks in under three months.

Amid concerns that Yemen’s Houthis could next target crucial submarine communications cables running under the Bab al-Mandeb strait that power internet networks, Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is committed to protecting these networks.

“Yemen’s decision to prevent the passage of Israeli enemy ships does not concern ships belonging to international companies licensed by Maritime Affairs – Sanaa to execute marine cable works,” the ministry said.

However, it added that ships “executing submarine cable works” should “obtain the necessary permits and approvals”.