DUBAI – Armed assailants seized and later let go of a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday before being apprehended by the United States Navy, officials said.
Two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen then landed near a US warship aiding the tanker in the Gulf of Aden, raising the stakes amid a series of ship attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) meanwhile confirmed yesterday that two Filipino seafarers on board the tanker Central Park are safe and accounted for.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said they are closely coordinating with the vessel’s manning and shipping agencies in getting a full report on the incident as well as reaching out to the family and relatives of the Central Park’s Filipino crew.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for the attack, though the rebels in control of the capital, Sanaa, did not acknowledge either the seizure or the missile attack.
The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, according to US and British militaries and the private intelligence firm Ambrey.
The US military’s Central Command said in a statement early yesterday that its forces and allies, including the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason, responded to the seizure and demanded the armed assailants release the tanker.
“Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat,” Central Command said. “The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender.”
The Central Command did not identify the attackers, but said a missile launch from Houthi-controlled Yemen followed after that.
“The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) from the ships,” the statement said. “The USS Mason… was concluding its response to the M/V Central Park distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.”
Early yesterday, Zodiac said the vessel carrying phosphoric acid and its crew of 22 sailors from Bulgaria, Georgia, India, the Philippines, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam were unharmed.
“We would like to thank the coalition forces who responded quickly, protecting assets in the area and upholding international maritime law,” the company said.
Zodiac described the vessel as being owned by Clumvez Shipping, though other records directly linked Zodiac as the owner.
London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. British corporate records listed two men with the last name Ofer as a current and former director of Clumvez Shipping, including Daniel Guy Ofer, who is also a director at Zodiac Maritime.
Yemen’s government, which is based out of nearby Aden, blamed the rebels for the seizure in a statement carried by the state-run news agency.
“The Yemeni government has renewed its denunciation of the acts of maritime piracy carried out by the terrorist Houthi militias with the support of the Iranian regime, the most recent of which was the hijacking of the Central Park,” the statement read.
The Central Park seizure comes after a container ship, CMA CGM Symi, owned by another Israeli billionaire, came under attack Friday by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.
Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days. The ships had switched off their Automatic Identification System trackers, according to data from MarineTraffic.com analyzed by the AP. Ships are supposed to keep their AIS active for safety reasons, but crews will turn them off if it appears they might be targeted.
In the Central Park’s case, the vessel had last transmitted four days ago after it left the Suez Canal heading south into the Red Sea. Global shipping had increasingly been targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict – even as a truce has halted fighting and Hamas exchanges hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Pinoy seafarers safe
The Department of Mi[1]grant Workers (DMW) con[1]firmed yesterday that two Filipino seafarers on board the Central Park are safe and accounted for.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said they are closely coordinating with the vessel’s manning and ship[1]ping agencies in getting a full report on the incident as well as reaching out to the family and relatives of the Central Park’s Filipino crew.
Cacdac said the DMW is also looking into the possibility of declaring certain areas in the Red Sea as high-risk zones for Filipino seafarers.
Two hijacking incidents with Filipino seafarers in their crew have been recorded recently.
At the Senate, Sen. Imee Marcos said the Department of Foreign Affairs and DMW should work for a long-term strategy to negotiate the release of 17 Filipino seafarers who were abducted earlier by Houthi rebels.
“The lives of Filipino seafarers now face higher risks as Israel’s attacks in Gaza could draw in more militant groups seeking to avenge the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. There’s no end in sight to this conflict and more Filipino seafarers could become collateral damage. The ongoing truce to release hostages on both sides is temporary,” said Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on foreign relations.
Marcos noted that Filipino seafarers comprise 25 percent of those employed in the global maritime industry, with almost half a million serving on cargo and cruise ships.
She also warned that the pro-Palestinian Houthi rebels have threatened to target more ships with links to Israel.