Houthi-stricken cargo carrier’s crew abandons ship due to fire

Crew members of a bulk cargo carrier struck by Houthi missiles abandoned ship Saturday after they couldn’t get fires on board under control, the US military said.

The Iranian-backed militants struck the Verbena, a Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship, in two missile attacks on Thursday, according to a US Central Command statement. The crew sent out a distress call on Saturday and the mariners were rescued by another bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden.

The Verbena was struck about 98 miles (158 kilometers) east of Aden in Yemen, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, which coordinates between military and commercial shipping.

Yemen’s Houthis have regularly attacked ships in and around the Red Sea since late last year, reducing traffic by about 70% compared with the start of December. The group has targeted vessels in what it says is a response to the Israel-Hamas war.

The Verbena was sailing from Songkhla, Thailand, to Venice, Italy, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.