Aden (South24 Center) 

The Houthis on Wednesday (October 1) announced that they had launched a cruise missile attack on a Dutch ship ‘Minervagracht’ for “violating the ban on entering Israeli ports”. The Houthis said they attacked the ship in the Gulf of Aden with a “winged missile”, which damaged the ship and set off a fire on board, with the vessel now in danger of drowning.

The Dutch company Spliethoff, which owns the vessel, said the attack took place on Monday, September 29, and left two of its seafarers injured. Nineteen seafarers were evacuated by helicopter. 

In a statement today (October 1), the Dutch firm said it has taken note of reports that the Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack, and added that it is in touch with international authorities and towage experts to secure the cargo vessel. It expressed its “deepest concern” at the incident, terming it as a direct attack on “innocent seafarers and a breach of the right of free navigation”.

The incident comes concurrently to the Iran-backed militia announcing on Tuesday (September 30), that they have blacklisted 13 American oil companies, including the likes of Exxon Mobil and Chevron, nine senior executives, and two ships, for violating the Houthis’ “ban on the export of US crude oil”. The move represents an explicit declaration of intent to target major entities within the American energy sector.

Among the other US companies named are ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum, Valero, Occidental, Enterprise Products, and Pioneer Natural Resources, in addition to Diamond S Shipping and EPIC Crowd Terminal, along with the oil tankers ‘Seawise San Saba’ and ‘Seawise Brazos’.

The Houthi statement linked this step to U.S. move of imposing sanctions, by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department in June, July, and September, on the Yemeni militia, its entities and vessels, “despite the announcement” on May 6, 2025 of de-escalation and a ceasefire between the US and the Houthis, which was mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.

Sanaa also asserted that the move falls under the principle of "reciprocity”.

Regarding the Houthi attack on the Dutch ship, the European Maritime Security Mission ASPIDES and the Dutch operator confirmed that all crew members were safely evacuated to Djibouti for medical care, while the vessel remained adrift and ablaze.

The attack on the Dutch ship comes nearly three months after the Houthis attacked two ships in the Red Sea in early July, leading to the sinking of both, and deaths and injury to several crew members. Human Rights Watch has termed the July attacks as tantamount to war crimes.

On July 6, the Houthis attacked the MV Magic Seas, a Greek-operated, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, using small craft-fired rocket-propelled grenades, causing a fire onboard. A passing merchant vessel rescued the ship’s 22 crew members, who had abandoned ship. The ship sank the following day.

On July 7, Houthis attacked a Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged commercial vessel, MV Eternity C, west of Hodeidah, deploying multiple rocket propelled grenades. The Houthis said they had fired naval drones and six cruise and ballistic missiles on the ship. The attacks continued on July 8 and the ship sank on July 9. Of the 25 crew members, four were killed, while 10 crew members were rescued at sea. Of the 11 members unaccounted for, six were taken into custody by the Houthis.

The Houthi announcement of reciprocal sanctions has raised concerns about a potential resurgence of U.S. military action against the group. This coincides with the escalating tensions between the Yemeni militia and Israel, which have entered a broader phase since late August, with Houthi drone and missile attacks successfully breaching Israeli air defense systems.

In response, Israel has conducted airstrikes targeting the port of Hodeidah and vital military sites in Sana'a, resulting in dozens of casualties, including of journalists working for Houthi-run media outlets based in the capital.