For the first time since World War II, a German ship was hit by gunfire

The Liberian-flagged container ship Al Jasrah, owned by the German company Hapag-Lloyd, was seriously damaged by a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis while it was 50 nautical miles north of the Yemeni port of Moka.

Since World War II, not a single German ship has been hit by a foreign military, and the Yemeni Houthis were the first to do so. According to British maritime safety company Ambrey, the ship was sailing in the southern Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait when it was hit by a missile, causing a fire on the deck and causing one container to fall into the sea.

#MarRosso, nave in fiamme colpita dai ribelli #Huthi: 70 droni e missili in 2 mesi, aumenta il rischio escalation https://t.co/e0yUzowkxn

— #RassegnaZampa (@RassegnaZampa) December 15, 2023

According to information from the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, no one was injured among the ship’s crew. “Hapag-Lloyd will take additional measures to ensure the safety of our crews.”the representative added without further comment.

There was no statement of responsibility for the incident. “We know that something fired from the Houthi-controlled area of ​​Yemen hit the vessel, which was damaged and started on fire,” he said. A US military spokesman told AFP.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and firing missiles and drones against Israel since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza two months ago, in a campaign they say is aimed at supporting the Palestinians.

Yemeni Houthis “pose a real threat to freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said today in Tel Aviv. “The United States is working with the international community and its partners in the region to address this threat.”he told reporters after meeting with Israeli officials.

🚨 Two new incidents today in the southern Red Sea. One vessel was hit by an unident projectile with fire onboard, another was ordered by a Houthi ship to alter course to Yemen.
+ update on yesterday's incident, where vessel was boarded by unk assailants in the Arabian Sea https://t.co/mrdTFQ5TlB

— avi scharf (@avischarf) December 15, 2023

Two new incidents today in the southern Red Sea. One ship was hit by an unidentified projectile with fire on board, and another was ordered by a Houthi ship to change course to Yemen. And + fresh information about yesterday’s incident when the ship was boarded by unknown persons in the Arabian Sea.

https://twitter.com/avischarf/status/1735594621374189744

According to AP, the vessel damaged this morning is Al Jasrah, owned by the German company Hapag-Lloyd. Here is his last location, 30 minutes ago. It was heading south, from Greece to Singapore.

Since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, the Houthis have launched at least 70 drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel, which is more than a thousand nautical miles away. Most of the launches were intercepted by Israeli, American, French and Saudi defense systems. In recent weeks, the Houthis have stepped up their attacks on merchant ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait area of ​​the Red Sea, claiming that the vessels are either linked to Israel or are heading to Israel. In fact, most of the ships attacked have nothing to do with Israel. Yesterday, Yemeni militias attacked a ship owned by a Chinese company.

Source link