Written by
Nick Blenkey
USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired in direction of Maersk Hangzhou [U.S. Navy photo]
Underscoring the persevering with threats going through industrial transport within the Pink Sea, U.S. Central Command has reported on two assaults by Houthis on the Maersk Hangzhou containership. Within the second, ten Houthis died.
On Saturday, at roughly 8:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), the Maersk Hangzhou reported that it had been struck by a missile whereas transiting the Southern Pink Sea. The Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned/operated vessel requested help, and the USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Laboon (DDG 58) responded to the ship, which was reportedly seaworthy with no reported accidents.
Whereas responding, the USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen towards the ships.
On December 31 at 6:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) the Maersk Hangzhou issued a second misery name in lower than 24 hours reporting being beneath assault by 4 Iranian-backed Houthi small boats.
“The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons on the Maersk Hangzhou, attending to inside 20 meters of the vessel, and tried to board the vessel,” says Central Command. “A contract embarked safety crew on the Maersk Hanzghou returned hearth. U.S. helicopters from the USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) and Gravely (DDG 107) responded to the misery name and within the strategy of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms. The U.S. Navy helicopters returned hearth in self-defense, sinking three of the 4 small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the world. There was no harm to U.S. personnel or gear.”
Ten Houthis had been killed and two had been wounded within the U.S. strike on the boats, Al Arabiya cites a supply at Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeida port as saying.
In keeping with Al Arabiya, Maersk is to droop Pink Sea operations for 48 hours.
“In gentle of the incident — and to permit time to analyze the small print of the incident and assess the safety scenario additional — it has been determined to delay all transits by way of the world for the following 48 hours,” Al Arabiya stories a Maersk assertion as saying.
