Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 30, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
The Dutch cargo ship Minervagracht was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, leading to a fire and crew evacuation. Possible Houthi involvement is under investigation.
DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) -The Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, a day after being hit by an explosive device that injured two seafarers and forced the crew's evacuation, its operator and the EU maritime mission Aspides said.
It was unclear if the ship was targeted by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who since 2023 have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, saying their assaults are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza.
If confirmed, it would be the first Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1.
Minervagracht was sailing off Djibouti, with 19 crew members and without cargo, when the explosion occurred, the vessel's Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff said.
"Minervagracht has sustained considerable damage," the company said in a statement, adding that all the crew had been safely evacuated and that it was working with international authorities and experts to salvage the vessel.
Most of the crew, including one of the injured seafarers who is in a stable condition, were transferred to a Greek and a French frigate, naval mission Aspides said on Tuesday.
Another crew member, who was seriously wounded, was evacuated by helicopter and they have all arrived in Djibouti.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Nayera Abdallah and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Ros Russell)
The Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by an explosive device.
It is unclear if the attack was carried out by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea.
There were 19 crew members on board the Minervagracht when the explosion occurred.
All crew members were safely evacuated, with most transferred to a Greek and a French frigate, while one seriously injured member was evacuated by helicopter.
The Minervagracht has sustained considerable damage and remains adrift in the Gulf of Aden.
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