The USS Mason and allied ships from the coalition counter-piracy task force managed to secure the Israeli-linked Central Park chemical tanker which an "unknown entity" attempted to seize in the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday morning.
The tanker had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid.
During the efforts to free the ship from the attackers, five armed individuals attempted to flee in a small boat and were arrested by the US Navy. The crew of the Central Park was safe.
Early on Monday morning, two ballistic missiles were fired from areas controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen toward the USS Mason as the USS Mason was concluding its response to a distress call by the Central Park tanker, according to CENTCOM. The missiles fell ten nautical miles away from the vessels. No damage or injuries were caused.
“Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM commander. “We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes.”
Unidentified armed individuals had seized a tanker carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, a US defense official said.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since a brutal war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas broke out on October 7.
It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels.
"US and coalition forces are in the vicinity and we are closely monitoring the situation," the US official said.
Central Park, a small oil tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by the Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company, LSEG data showed.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
US blames Iran for Red Sea maritime attacks
The United States has blamed Iran for unclaimed attacks on several vessels in the region in the past few years. Tehran has denied involvement.
A container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a US defense official said on Saturday.