US Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack on Middle East Tanker

A U.S. warship stopped an attempt to seize a commercial tanker off the coast of Yemen, in the latest incident showing heightened tensions in Middle Eastern waters since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Zodiac Maritime, which manages the 20,000 metric-ton vessel Central Park, which contained a cargo of phosphoric acid, said the suspected piracy incident in international waters happened about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden.

The U.S. military said that the USS Mason and other allied ships demanded that the commercial ship be released by five armed individuals who had boarded the vessel on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The group then tried to escape on a fast boat, but surrendered after being chased by the American warship, the U.S. military said, without specifying who the attackers were.

"The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender. The crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe," the U.S. military statement said.

Zodiac Maritime is run by the Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had threatened to attack the tanker if it didn't divert to the Yemeni port of Hodeida, according to maritime security firm Ambrey.

The tanker is safe and "all of the crew, the vessel, and cargo are unharmed," Zodiac Maritime told Newsweek, without commenting on who was responsible.

"The vessel issued a distress call stating that she was under attack by pirates while transiting the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC)" off the Somalia coast, the company said, adding that Zodiac has been "working closely with international naval coalition partners in the region."

The New York Times reported that U.S. officials are investigating whether Iran was involved in the attempted seizure or if it was unrelated to the regional tensions that have intensified since the start of the war on October 7.

Houthi rebels attacked several commercial vessels last week in the Red Sea, which is next to the Gulf of Aden. Meanwhile, the Houthis and other Iranian-backed groups have increased attacks on Israel in the past six weeks, as well as on U.S. targets in the wider region.

Houthi rebels fired cruise missiles at Israel, which were intercepted by the U.S. Navy, or Israel itself.

On November 22, the Galaxy Leader was seized off Yemen's western coast and diverted to Hodeidah. Videos showed a helicopter landing Yemeni troops onto the vessel and Houthi rebels dancing in celebration with Palestinian and Yemeni flags.

In a post on X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the seizure of the vessel was in response to the "heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank" as he called for "an end to Israel's aggression."

Update 11/27/23 at 11:49 a.m. ET; This article was updated to add comments from Zodiac Maritime.

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