Houthis Claim Attacks on Container Ship and U.S. Destroyers

On August 7, the Houthi rebel group alleged that they had targeted the containership Contship Ono and two U.S. destroyers, the Colon and Laboon, in the Gulf of Aden.

A spokesperson for the Houthis stated that they launched ballistic missiles and multiple drones at Contship Ono. However, Athens-based Contship management confirmed that the vessel was not hit and all crew members are safe.

The British Security Agency, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), also reported no confirmed attacks on the vessel.

The 2007-built container ship departed from Mundra on July 31. According to Marine Traffic data, the vessel was scheduled to arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 11, but it is currently out of range.

The Iran-backed Houthi spokesperson further claimed to have targeted the U.S. destroyer Colon with drones and the U.S. destroyer Laboon with ballistic missiles. However, U.S. officials stated there is no evidence to support the Houthi claims of attacks on the two U.S. destroyers.