Enlarge image

Harbour scene in South Yemen (symbolic image)

Photo: Thomas Koehler / photothek / IMAGO

After a German ship, a Swiss container ship has also been attacked in the Red Sea. The MSC Palatium III sailed under the Liberian flag and was attacked while heading north about 22 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Mocha. This was announced by the British maritime security company Ambrey in a statement. The ship was on its way to the Saudi port of Jeddah.

Previously, the "Al Jasrah", a container ship belonging to the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, had already been attacked in the Red Sea. There has been an attack on one of our ships," said a spokesman for the shipping company. A U.S. Department of Defense official said the freighter was attacked from an area controlled by Iranian-allied Houthi militia in Yemen. According to SPIEGEL information, the attack was carried out with a drone.

More on this topic

  • War in the Middle East: Why the Houthi rebels from Yemen are now attacking IsraelBy Monika Bolliger

  • Damage after drone strike: German Hapag-Lloyd container ship attacked in the Red SeaBy Felix Kessler and Claus Hecking

  • Freighter hijacked by Houthi rebels: Raid from the air

The attack, like several previous attacks by the Houthi rebels, took place near the Bab al-Mandeb strait between Yemen and Djibouti in Africa.

As SPIEGEL learned late Friday morning, the fire on board the "Al Jasrah" was spatially limited; it is assumed that it can be extinguished soon and will not cause much damage. According to reports, a container had also fallen into the sea during the incident.

The Hapag-Lloyd spokesman did not confirm the information about the container, and there was also no information on further damage. The »Al Jasrah« is on its way from the Greek port of Piraeus to Singapore. There were no injuries in the attack, the ship is now continuing towards its destination, the shipping company said. The container ship has a capacity of 15,000 so-called Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), an internationally standardized measuring unit for containers.

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who had recently claimed responsibility for several attacks on merchant ships, initially did not claim responsibility for the attack on the German shipping company's ship. The Houthis had announced that they would block the way of ships linked to Israel in solidarity with Hamas, which is also supported by Iran. The militia says it intends to attack all ships bound for Israeli ports until Israel allows the delivery of food and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Germany examines naval deployment

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the Houthi attacks threatened maritime freedom, which is central to the transport of oil and goods. He blamed Iran for the attacks. Sullivan said the U.S. was working with partners in the region and around the world to form a "coalition" to counter the threat.

Meanwhile, the German government is apparently examining a U.S. request for a joint naval mission. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that a few days ago, the United States had asked the German Navy whether it would be able to provide support in the Red Sea, "without this being backed up with concrete demands." This request is currently being examined and will certainly be discussed with all the necessary responsible bodies in the government."

mfh/AFP/dpa/Reuters