UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III to discuss the ongoing illegal Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
They both noted that the Houthi attacks violate freedom of navigation protected by international law, and threaten citizens of multiple countries.
Both Secretaries highlighted that the attacks are unacceptable and profoundly destabilising to the international rules-based order.
The ongoing impact of these attacks on global commerce is jeopardising the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.
Secretary Austin noted that these attacks constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action.
The US Navy destroys Houthi “small boats” attempting to board a container ship in the Red Sea.
Four vessels from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired upon the Maersk Hangzhou and got to within metres of the ship, the US military reported on Sunday morning (Dec. 31st).
The crews were killed and the fourth boat fled the area.
The commercial ship attacked, the Maersk Hangzhou, is registered to Singapore and operated and owned by a Danish firm, US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Maersk, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, says it has paused sailings through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
The four Houthi boats attacked at around 06:30 Yemeni time (03:30 GMT) with mounted weapons and small arms, getting to within 20m (66ft) of the container ship, which the crew “attempted to board”. The ships crew issued a distress call and a security team returned fire, the statement said.
Helicopters from the nearby USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier and USS Gravely destroyer responded to the call for help and were shot at while “in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats”.
Read also: HMS Diamond joins new international task force to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks
Image: File photo, gov.uk
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