Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou

Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou
Part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian and the Red Sea crisis
Date30–31 December 2023
Location
Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
Result

Houthi victory

  • Maersk pauses shipping through the Red Sea for 48 hours.[1]
  • Houthis succeed in temporarily halting shipping.
  • U.S succeeds in sinking Houthi attack boats.
  • on January 2 Maersk announce a halt on all shipping through the Red Sea[2]
Belligerents
 Yemen (SPC)  United States
Commanders and leaders
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi[citation needed] Marc Miguez[3]
Units involved

 Yemeni Navy (SPC)

United States Navy

  • Maersk private security contractors
Strength
Four fast attack craft[4]
Coastal missile batteries		 One freighter
One aircraft carrier
Two destroyers
Casualties and losses
Three fast attack craft sunk
10 killed[5]		 One civilian freighter damaged

On 30 December 2023, Houthi forces in the Gulf of Aden attacked the Maersk commercial vessel Maersk Hangzhou. Early the next day, Houthis again attacked the Maersk Hangzhou, attempting to board the freighter. The Maersk Hangzhou made a distress signal, to which U.S. Navy forces of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and destroyer USS Gravely responded. The U.S., along with Maersk security personnel aboard the ship, repelled the attack. The U.S. sank three Houthi vessels, killing ten Houthis. Maersk announced a 48-hour pause on shipping through the Red Sea following the incident.[1]On January 2 Maersk announced a halt on shipping through the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks.[2]

  1. ^ a b Gronholt-pedersen, Jacob; Elimam, Ahmed (31 December 2023). "US sinks 3 ships, kills 10 after Houthi Red Sea attack". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PRMaersk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Correll, Diana (24 December 2023). "Ford and Eisenhower carriers will come home, eventually". Navy Times. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ Javeri, Ashka; Soltani, Amin; Moore, Johanna; Mills, Peter; Carl, Nicholas (31 December 2023). "Iran Update, December 31, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ^ LaGrone, Sam (31 December 2023). "U.S. Navy Helo Crews Kill Houthi Assault Boat Teams After Red Sea Attack". USNI News. Retrieved 17 January 2024.