US military: Crew abandons cargo ship hit by Houthi rebel rocket attack

The crew of a bulk carrier damaged by a missile attack by Iran-backed Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden have abandoned ship, the US military said on Saturday (June 15), just days after American forces in the region said two cruise missiles fired by the militant group had hit the cargo ship.

The M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated vessel, was the target of two separate missile attacks on Thursday (June 13), CENTCOM said in a statement.

At around 1:45 p.m. (Sanaa local time), the crew sent an “emergency call indicating that they were abandoning the ship,” it said.

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The Iran-backed militant group has been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis claim the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

According to the US military, the crew of the Verbena then issued the emergency call because they could not control the fires caused by the attack.

Another cargo ship, the Anna Meta, rescued the crew, CENTCOM said. “The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from the M/V Verbena and did not respond to the distress call,” the statement continued.

The attack on Thursday also seriously injured a sailor who was later evacuated by US forces in the area.

The militant group confirmed the attack on Thursday and said its target was the ship in the Arabian Sea.

The Houthi militia spokesman at the time, Yahya Sarea, said the ship Verbena had been “hit directly, causing a fire to break out on board.”

Sarea also confirmed attacks on two other ships – the Seaguardian ship and the Athina ship – in the Red Sea.

On Wednesday (June 12), another cargo ship called M/V Tutor was abandoned after it was hit by a sea drone off the rebel-held city of Hodeida.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, operated by the British Navy, the attack caused severe flooding.

The spokesman for the Houthi rebels said on Saturday (June 15) with regard to the attacks on the Verbena and the Tutor that these “operations are dedicated to our brothers fighting in Gaza”.

The statement also reiterated the “warning to all companies about the consequences of cooperation with Israel.”

(With contributions from agencies)