[TradewindsNews] The US arm of AP Moller-Maersk is suspending voyages through the Red Sea after two of its container ships came under missile attack while being escorted by the US Navy.
The 6,200-teu Maersk Detroit and 2,474-teu Maersk Chesapeake (both built 2008) turned around in the Red Sea and were escorted back to the Gulf of Aden, said the company. Qatar Energy admits Red Sea diversions will hit LNG cargo scheduling.
The master of an unidentified ship reported an explosion 100 metres from its starboard side, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said earlier.
US Central Command, which coordinates the country’s military operations in the region, said three anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired toward the Maersk Detroit.
One missile hit the sea, while the warship USS Gravely shot down two others.
The two ships were carrying cargo and aid for the US government and were given protection by the navy for the passage through the Bab El-Mandeb strait, said subsidiary Maersk Line Ltd, for which the US military is a major customer on its US-flag ships.
More from regnum.ru
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Houthis launch a military operation against US ships in the Gulf of Aden
Yemen's Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) has launched a military operation against US Navy ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the organization's military spokesman, Yahya Saria, said in a statement.
He clarified that on January 24, in these waters, the group came into conflict with several American military vessels that were providing protection to two commercial ships. According to a spokesman for the movement, the missiles that the Houthis launched towards the enemy were allegedly able to reach their targets.
At the same time, as a result of the operation, one of the American ships was directly hit. Saria also said that the fighting lasted about two hours.
As Regnum reported, on the night of January 12, the United States and Britain launched missile attacks on Ansar Allah facilities in Yemen in response to attacks on their ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. At the same time, Washington and London continued to attack targets on Yemeni territory.
On January 24, the Pentagon said that since the start of its military operation, American troops have destroyed or damaged more than 25 launchers and over 20 missiles in Yemen. In addition, the department spoke about US strikes on the base areas of unmanned aerial vehicles, coastal radars and aerial reconnaissance assets on Yemeni territory.
On January 24, another British ship was attacked off the coast of Yemen. However, the ship and its crew were not damaged.
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