Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for attacking a Liberia-flagged container vessel, the MV Groton, for a second time, as part of their ongoing campaign against commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, announced the attack in a televised statement, but did not specify the exact timing of the incident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that two missiles exploded near the vessel on 30 August, about 130 nautical miles east of Yemen’s Aden, but reported no damage or injuries.
UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 117-ATTACK-UPDATE 001#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/WAwUvxET3D
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) August 30, 2024
The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden using drones, missiles, and naval forces, claiming these attacks are in support of Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
This marks the second time the MV Groton has been targeted, with the first attack occurring on August 3.
In their broader campaign, the Houthis have already sunk two vessels and recently targeted the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which was carrying around 1 million barrels of oil.
