US Navy intercepts Houthi missiles while escorting ships in the Red Sea

Maersk said two ships operated by its US subsidiary carrying American military supplies through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea had to turn around after explosions near their positions. The vessels were accompanied by the US Navy.

“During the route, both ships reported seeing explosions nearby, and the US Navy escort also intercepted several projectiles,” Maersk said in a statement, adding that it was suspending traffic in the Red Sea by ships from its American subsidiary.

A spokesman for Yemen's Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at several US warships protecting two US commercial ships.

Both commercial vessels are operated by Maersk Line, Limited, the US subsidiary that transports cargo for the Department of Defense, the Department of State, USAID and other US government agencies.

The ships are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program and the Voluntary Intermodal Maritime Transport Agreement with the US government, which is why they were escorted through the strait by US Navy ships, Maersk explained.

These programs are administered by the United States Department of Defense to transport troops, supplies, and equipment during times of war or national emergency.

The ships and crew were unharmed and escorted back to the Gulf of Aden by the Navy, Maersk said.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement that Houthi forces attacked several US warships with ballistic missiles on Wednesday (24).

He commented that the “confrontation” lasted more than two hours, with one of the warships taking a direct hit and the two commercial ships having “to withdraw and return.”

“Several of our ballistic missiles have reached their targets despite attempts by warships to intercept them,” the statement said.

Houthi forces fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles at the US-flagged container ship Maersk Detroit as it transited the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship, the statement added.

Changed traffic

On January 5, Maersk announced that it would divert its container ships from the Red Sea until further notice. Until this Wednesday (24), MLL ships were the exception, which will no longer happen, Maersk said.

“Following the escalation of the risk, MLL is suspending traffic in the region until further notice,” he stated.

Sailors remain in the line of fire and have signed agreements to receive double pay when entering high-risk zones.

“There is a feeling of vulnerability,” Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation, the main seafarers' union, told Reuters.

“Feedback from captains [dos navio] it's certainly about the container trade, they are much more relaxed about going around the Cape [da Boa Esperança]”, he added.

U.S. maritime labor organizations have been concerned about attacks on U.S.-flagged vessels, which nine unions called “the most significant attacks on the United States Merchant Marine in more than half a century.”

“It is critically important that U.S.-flagged ships carrying commercial, military, and foreign aid cargo receive the necessary protection from the United States military as they transit the increasingly treacherous waters of the Red Sea,” the unions wrote in a letter dated 19 January for the US Transportation Command.