Maersk Ship Attacked for Second Time in Red Sea

The incident was first reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency earlier in the day. Image Credit: UKMTO

An AP Moller-Maersk boxship has been attacked for the second time in the space of a day in the Red Sea.

The 15,282 TEU Maersk Hangzhou was fired upon by four small boats from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen at about 6:30 AM local time on Sunday, US Central Command said in a social media post.

The incident was first reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency earlier in the day, without naming the vessel involved.

The Maersk ship had also been hit by a missile in a separate incident a few hours previously.

"The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel," US Central Command said.

"A contract embarked security team on the MAERSK HANZGHOU returned fire.

"U.S. helicopters from the USS EISENHOWER (CVN 69) and GRAVELY (DDG 107) responded to the distress call and in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms.

"The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area."

Maersk had announced a week earlier that it would resume using the Red Sea and Suez Canal after the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian to improve maritime security in the region, while other leading shipping companies have decided the route is still too risky.

The rerouting of ships away from the Red Sea and on longer voyages around Africa is likely to deliver a significant boost to global bunker demand.