Greek-Flagged Ship Carrying Humanitarian Aid to Yemen Attacked by Houthis, US Says

A container ship crosses an oil platform at the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, outside of Cairo on Sept. 1, 2020. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired ballistic missiles at a Greek-flagged bulk carrier that was conveying humanitarian aid to the port city of Aden in Yemen on Feb. 19, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

The M/V Sea Champion, a U.S.-owned cargo vessel, was delivering grain “for the benefit of the Yemeni people” when the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at it.

The crew continued to their final destination after one of the missiles detonated near the vessel, causing minor damage, the U.S. military stated.

CENTCOM—the U.S. military component that oversees operations throughout the Middle East—said that the M/V Sea Champion has delivered humanitarian aid to Yemen 11 times in the past five years.

“Houthi aggression in the region has exacerbated already high levels of need in conflict-impacted Yemen, which remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with nearly 80 percent of the entire population needing humanitarian assistance,” it stated.

“We are committed to countering the Houthis’ malign activities, which directly endanger the imports of foodstuff and humanitarian aid to Yemen.”

US Drone Downed Near Yemen

Just a day after the attack, Pentagon deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh claimed that a U.S. MQ-9 drone was shot down near Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

“Initial indications are that it was shot down by a Houthi surface-to-air missile,” she told reporters, adding that CENTCOM was looking into options to recover the downed U.S. drone.

MQ-9 Reaper drones are equipped for both airborne surveillance and armed strikes, and they are capable of carrying and launching a variety of missiles and bombs. Ms. Singh couldn’t say whether the MQ-9 that was shot down off the coast of Yemen was armed at the time it went down.

The Houthis have conducted a campaign of terror against commercial shipping in the Red Sea for the months since the beginning of the Israel–Hamas conflict, causing disruptions to global supply chains.

Hundreds of cargo ships and tankers are being rerouted around the southern tip of Africa to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, including these container ships in Felixstowe, on the east coast of England, on Jan. 27, 2024. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. forces in operation in the Middle Eastern waterways have intercepted numerous missile and drone attacks targeting civilian vessels, and since Jan. 11, they have conducted dozens of airstrikes on suspected Houthi missile launch sites on Yemeni soil.

On Feb. 8, U.S. armed forces conducted “self-defense strikes” against four Houthi unmanned surface vessels and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared for launch against ships in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM said the missiles were identified in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The strikes were carried out because the missiles “presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”

“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” the U.S. military said.

CENTCOM forces also targeted two Houthi mobile anti-ship cruise missiles and a mobile land attack cruise missile on Feb. 7.

The Houthis, who are a Zaydi Shiite Muslim movement, have said they are conducting these missile and drone attacks in solidarity with Palestinian factions opposed to Israel.

The Houthis have said they are targeting commercial vessels that they believe are connected to Israel as Israeli forces fight in the Gaza Strip to defeat the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.

The Houthis overran much of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The group is closely linked to Iran, a chief enemy of Israel.

Ryan Morgan and Reuters contributed to this report.