A Dutch cargo ship was hit by a projectile off Yemen on Monday, injuring two people and sparking a fire, its owner said.
The MV Minervagracht was in the Gulf of Aden when it came “under attack of an unidentified explosive device inflicting substantial damage”, the company Spliethoff said.
As a result, the ship had caught fire, it added, while two crew members were injured.
“Currently the crew of 19 are being evacuated to nearby vessels by helicopter. The two injured seafarers are receiving first medical aid on board of these ships. The extent of their injuries is yet unknown.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Yemen’s Huthi rebels have repeatedly targeted vessels in the busy shipping lanes of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-backed group, which holds swathes of territory in Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has said the attacks on commercial shipping are in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The incident was earlier reported by the British Royal Navy-run United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
The UKMTO said the attack had occurred 128 nautical miles southwest of Aden.
British maritime security company Ambrey said the ship had previously been targeted on September 23 “while en route to Djibouti.”
Two days later, Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi said the group had targeted a ship that had “violated” its ban on visiting Israeli ports.
The Huthis have also launched frequent missile and drone attacks on Israel, which has retaliated with strikes in Yemen.
Israeli strikes on Sanaa killed at least nine people on Thursday, a day after the rebels launched a drone attack on southern Israel.
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© Agence France-Presse
