A bulker belonging to Eagle Bulk Shipping has been hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden. A US destroyer was also hit.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the consultancy firm Ambrey, the incident occurred around 95 nm south-east of Aden in Yemen. According to the report, three missiles were fired, presumably by Houthis from Yemen. One of the missiles hit one of the holds. [ds_preview]
US Central Command identified the ship as the Marshall Islands-flagged “Gibraltar Eagle” (64,000 dwt) and described it as a US-owned and operated vessel.
Eagle Bulk is listed on the US stock exchange
The vessel, loaded with steel products, was originally reported to be in the westbound lane of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) en route to the Suez Canal and on to the US coast. According to UKMTO and the shipping company Eagle Bulk, there were no injuries or significant damage. The Ultramax bulker, which was built in 2015, continued its journey to its next port of destination.
Eagle Bulk, managed by Gary Vogel, owns 52 Ultramax and Supramax bulkers and is one of the world’s largest operators of medium-sized bulk carriers. The company is in the midst of a 500 million dollar takeover by Greek shipping company Star Bulk Carriers, which is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Huthi also attack US destroyers
Previously, a ship of the US-led coalition “Prosperity Guardian” had been attacked in the sea area off Hodeidah. According to the report, a sea target missile was fired at the “USS Laboon”, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. This was reportedly shot down by a fighter plane. There was no damage to people or material in this case either.
The hostile actions of the Houthis against shipping in the Red Sea began on November 19, 2023 with the hijacking of the merchant ship “Galaxy Leader“. Since then, there have been 27 verified attacks.
Following recent airstrikes on their positions by the US, the UK and other allies, the so-called Houthi rebels in Yemen announced their intention to continue attacking ships with suspected links to Israel.
Last Thursday, US and UK units engaged more than sixty targets in sixteen Huthi locations. Two days later, a second attack was carried out with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
