Vessel Damaged in Houthi Attack Diverts to Djibouti

A container vessel that was hit by Houthi militants off Yemen on Saturday in the first such attack in two weeks, has arrived safely in Djibouti and the strike caused no injuries or water ingress, its Greek manager said on Monday.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday that they targeted the Liberia-flagged MV Groton in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles, claiming their first attack on shipping lanes since Israel carried out a retaliatory airstrike in Hodeidah port on July 20.

The MV Groton was hit by a missile 60 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, while en route from Dubai to Jeddah, Conbulk Shipmanagement Corporation said in a statement. After the strike, it was diverted to Djibouti where it arrived on Sunday, the company said.

"No injuries nor pollution have been reported and there is no water ingress caused by the hit," the company said, adding that the safety of the crew was a top priority.

"Full evaluation of the damage will be made ... followed by the necessary repairs."

Following the strike, fire broke out in the cargo holds that were hit and in containers on the main deck, the company said. The blaze was extinguished by the crew.

The attack is the first since an apparent lull following Israel's attack on Hodeidah, which occurred a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israeli economic hub Tel Aviv.

The Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.

(Reuters - Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Conor Humphries)