Houthi militias hijack UAE-flagged cargo ship off coast of Al Hudaydah

The Houthi militias hijacked a UAE-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Al Hudaydah governorate on Sunday, January 2.

“At (11.57pm) on Sunday (January 2, 2022), the Cargo Ship (RWABEE) sailing under the flag of the UAE was targeted through ‘piracy and hijacking’, while sailing off the coast of Al Hudaydah governorate,” the official spokesperson of the coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen, Brigadier General Turki Al Malki, was quoted by Saudi Press Agency as saying.

#Houthi militias hijack #UAE-flagged cargo ship off coast of Al Hudaydah: Coalition Forces.#WamNews https://t.co/QNRVA8ng6w pic.twitter.com/iUIUYXFGla

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) January 3, 2022

The ship was conducting a maritime mission from the island of (Socotra) to (Jazan) port, carrying medical field equipment, that were used to operate the Saudi Field Hospital in the island, official news agency WAM reported.

Al Malki added that the ship’s field hospital equipment cargo includes ambulances, medical equipment, communication devices, tents, a field kitchen, field laundry units and technical and security support equipment.

“The terrorist Houthi militia will bear full responsibility as a result of its criminal act of Piracy against the ship, which violates the customary International Humanitarian Law, the San Remo Manual on Armed Conflicts at Sea and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The militia must promptly release the ship, or the Coalition Forces will undertake all necessary measures and procedures to handle this violation, including the use of force if necessary,” the spokesperson said.