There Was A Ballistic Missile Shot, US Warship Claims To Save Tankers From Hijacking In Aden Bay

Missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) and helicopters and SH-60B Seahawk while patrolling the waters of the Persian Gulf. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/2nd Class Peter J. Carney)

JAKARTA - A United States Navy warship succeeded in thwarting an attempt to hijack a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden, after it was occupied by a group of armed men in the Gulf of Aden, officials said.

The warship responded to a distress call as the tanker, identified as the Central Park ship by its shipping company, was carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid. However, officials did not identify the attackers.

In a statement, the US military said that the missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), with the help of allied ships, demanded that the commercial ship be freed by the attackers, reported Reuters, November 27.

The five gunmen tried to escape by speedboat, but were chased by US warships and eventually surrendered.

The statement added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory towards the USS Mason and Central Park. Luckily, the missiles landed about 10 nautical miles away and there was no damage or injuries.

It said this incident was the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since the brutal war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on October 7.

Previously, a cargo ship said to be linked to Israel was hijacked by the Houthi group in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which has also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli-linked vessels.

It is known that Central Park, a small chemical tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, an international ship management company headquartered in London and owned by the Israeli Ofer family. The Liberian-flagged ship was built in 2015 and is owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, according to LSEG data.

Zodiac Maritime said in a statement that Central Park, which was carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid, was involved in a suspected piracy incident while crossing international waters, about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

"Our priority is the safety of the 22 crew members. The ship, which is captained by Turkey, has a multinational crew consisting of crew members from Russia, Vietnam, Bulgaria, India, Georgia, and the Philippines," explained the statement.

Meanwhile, the British Maritime Trade Operations Agency (UKMTO) said it was aware of a possible attack southwest of Aden and asked other ships to be careful.

Meanwhile, the United States blames Iran for unclaimed attacks on several ships in the region in recent years. Tehran firmly denies this accusation.