Houthi Rebels Hit Greek-Owned Boxship in Gulf of Aden

On Saturday, Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted and struck a container ship in the Gulf of Aden, the latest in a long string of attacks on merchant shipping in the region. 

According to Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree, the militant group launched multiple ballistic missiles at the Greek-owned boxship Groton, "and the hit was accurate." Saree claimed that the vessel had previously called in Israel, violating the Houthis' attempted embargo. The Houthis' claimed motive is to pressure Israel to halt military operations in Gaza; Western analysts note that the group has also attacked vessels linked to their own allies and to neutral third parties. 

Maritime security consultancy Vanguard confirms that Groton was struck at 1730 hours GMT as it transited about 125 nautical miles to the east of Aden. The projectiles hit a cargo hold, and the crew were safe and unharmed in the deckhouse. As of Saturday, the vessel had no water ingress, no fuel spillage and no onboard fire, the operator informed UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). 

The Groton is a Greek-owned feeder chartered to French ocean carrier CMA CGM. AIS records show that the ship has a recent history of trading in the Mideast, East Africa and the Far East, but not the Mediterranean or Israel. As of Sunday it was at anchor just off the port of Djibouti, according to data provided by Pole Star. 

AIS data from Groton for the past 12 months (Courtesy Pole Star)

According to industry tallies, the Houthi faction has launched attacks on more than 70 vessels since hostilities began in November, including all attempts on warships and commercial vessels. Many of these ships were attacked multiple times as they transited past Houthi territory, and U.S. coalition warships came under regular, repeated fire while patrolling in the area.