ADEN, Yemen, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Salvage efforts began on Saturday to tow a cargo ship that was struck by Houthi missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, a Yemeni coast guard official told Xinhua.
The pro-government Yemeni official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that "a technical salvage team has initiated the process of towing the crippled M/V True Confidence after successfully bringing a substantial onboard fire under control in recent days."
"The plan is to tow the M/V True Confidence, laden with wood, iron, and civilian transport buses, to the coast of Djibouti," he said.
The cargo ship sustained significant damage when it was struck by Houthi missiles on Wednesday, resulting in casualties and a massive onboard fire.
On Thursday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that an anti-ship ballistic missile impacted the cargo ship approximately 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden, igniting a fire onboard and prompting the crew's abandonment of the stricken vessel.
CENTCOM confirmed three crew members died in the strike, and at least four others sustained injuries, with three in critical condition. The military authority condemned the "reckless" Houthi actions as disruptive to global maritime commerce.
For their part, the Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting the ship, alleging the "accurate" missile attack came in response to the ship's crew disregarding prior warning from the group's naval forces. At the same time, they identified the ship as American-owned.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have escalated their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, citing retaliation for Israeli strikes in Gaza. In mid-January, the United States and Britain initiated airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in response. ■
