Two US-flagged Maersk boxships were targeted by Houthi missiles while transiting Bāb el-Mandeb, the strait connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
The 6200 TEU Maersk Detroit and the 2474 TEU Maersk Chesapeake were carrying US government cargo and were being escorted by the US Navy. Three missiles were fired at the first of the two vessels. Two of these were intercepted by the USS Gravely, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, while the another landed in the sea. The ship didn’t suffer any damage and the crew were unharmed.
Following the attack, the Danish company’s US subsidiary, Maersk Line Limited, decided to suspend transits in the Red Sea. The two ships, still escorted by the navy, turned back and are now heading towards the Gulf of Aden.
Translation by Giles Foster
