The United States Navy successfully thwarted an attempt by Houthi rebels to hijack a cargo ship in the Red Sea on Sunday, December 31, 2023. The incident occurred about 200 miles off the coast of Yemen.
According to the U.S. Navy, the cargo ship targeted by the Houthis was a Panamanian-flagged container ship. The ship was carrying a cargo of food and medical supplies.
At the time of the incident, the cargo ship was sailing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Jeddah, Egypt. When the ship was in the Red Sea, a small Houthi boat approached it.
The small boat was carrying a number of armed men. The men attempted to board the cargo ship. However, the attempt was thwarted by the crew of the cargo ship.
The U.S. Navy, which was patrolling the Red Sea, then received a report about the incident. The U.S. Navy then sent the destroyer USS Cole to assist the cargo ship.
The destroyer USS Cole then approached the small Houthi boat. The U.S. Navy then fired warning shots at the boat.
The warning shots were successful in making the small Houthi boat retreat. The boat then fled the scene.
The U.S. Navy said that the incident was the 10th attempted hijacking carried out by the Houthis in the Red Sea since 2022. The U.S. Navy has successfully thwarted all of those attempted hijackings.
The Houthis are a rebel group that controls much of Yemeni territory. The group has been fighting against the Yemeni government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, since 2015.
The Houthis have repeatedly used small boats to attack merchant ships transiting through the Red Sea. The attacks have disrupted trade in the Red Sea and caused a rise in global oil prices.
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