Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Maersk Sentosa ship in Arabian Sea

"The American ship Maersk Sentosa was targeted in the Arabian Sea by naval forces and missile forces in a joint operation," Yahya Sarea, the Yemeni group's military spokesperson, said in a broadcast.

 An aerial view of the Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze following a Houthi missile attack at sea, March 6, 2024, in this handout photo.  (photo credit:  DVIDS/Handout via REUTERS )
An aerial view of the Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze following a Houthi missile attack at sea, March 6, 2024, in this handout photo.
(photo credit: DVIDS/Handout via REUTERS )

 Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday they targeted the Maersk Sentosa ship in the Arabian sea with several ballistic and wing missiles.

"The American ship Maersk Sentosa was targeted in the Arabian Sea by naval forces and missile force in a joint operation," Yahya Sarea, the Yemeni group's military spokesperson, said in a televised speech.

Earlier on Tuesday, shipping giant Maersk said one of its vessels, the Maersk Sentosa, reported being targeted by a flying object in the north of the Gulf of Aden.

Maersk MAERSKb.CO told Reuters that no injuries to the crew or damage to the ship or cargo were reported.

A spokesperson for the Copenhagen-based company said the ship was one of its US-flagged vessels sailing for the subsidiary Maersk Line, Limited.

 A Houthi follower holds a rocket launcher as others carry a cutout banner, portraying the Galaxy Leader cargo ship which was seized by Houthis, during a parade as part of a 'popular army' mobilization campaign by the movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, February 7, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
A Houthi follower holds a rocket launcher as others carry a cutout banner, portraying the Galaxy Leader cargo ship which was seized by Houthis, during a parade as part of a 'popular army' mobilization campaign by the movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, February 7, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

The captain of an unnamed merchant ship reported an explosion close to the vessel some 180 nautical miles (333 km) east of Yemen's Nishtun, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory note on Tuesday.

Injury report

UKMTO added that the vessel and its crew are safe.

Sarea also said the group targeted the Marathopolis ship in the Arabian Sea and the MSC Patnaree ship in the Gulf of Aden with a number of drones.

Houthi terrorists in Yemen have launched drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November. They say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.