This post has been updated with a statement from U.S. Central Command.
Five people suspected of attempting to hijack a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden are in U.S. Navy custody, a defense official confirmed to USNI News on Sunday.
The five had boarded and attempted to take control of the M/V Central Park, a tanker owned by an Israeli businessman, on Sunday while the ship was transiting the Gulf of Aden, the official confirmed.
Before the pirates could take control of the ship, the crew had barricaded themselves in the tanker’s citadel, an armored panic room. Unable to seize the crew, the pirates boarded a skiff and headed toward Yemen. Guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) and an unidentified Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship responded to the incident, the defense official confirmed. The crew of Mason pursued the skiff as it headed toward Yemen with the ship’s embarked helicopter and ultimately detained the five for questioning, the official confirmed.
Fox News first reported the details of the detention on Sunday.
“On Nov. 26, the USS Mason (DDG-87), with allied ships from our coalition counter-piracy task force, and associated aircraft responded to a distress call from the M/V Central Park, a commercial vessel, that they were under attack by an unknown entity,” reads a late Sunday statement from U.S. Central Command.
“Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender. The crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe.”
Central Park is a Liberian-flagged tanker that is owned by Israeli business magnate Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime, according to Reuters. Ofer’s company owned MT Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged tanker that was attacked by a drone in 2021 off the coast of Oman. Two crew members were killed in that attack.
Following the detentions, Houthi forces fired two short-range ballistic missiles at Mason and the tanker, according to CENTCOM.
“At approximately 0141 on Nov. 27 Sanaa time, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of USS Mason (DDG-87) and M/V Central Park. The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships. USS Mason, which is part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was concluding its response to the M/V Central Park distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident,” reads a late Sunday statement from CENTCOM.
Sunday’s incident comes two days after an alleged drone attack on an Israeli-owned container ship in the Indian Ocean on Friday, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) shot down multiple drones on Thursday morning local time, following an incident earlier this month in which the destroyer shot down a drone from Yemen over the Red Sea.
The incidents have coincided with Israel’s continued strikes on Hamas in retaliation for the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel. Since the initial attack, Israel’s strikes have killed more than 14,000 people in Gaza, the Palestinian territory governed by Hamas, the New York Times reported Saturday.
U.S. naval forces have massed in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Sea in the weeks since the attacks in southern Israel and the subsequent response. As of last week, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, while the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group entered the Persian Gulf on Sunday.
On Nov. 26, the Carrier Strike Group Eisenhower (IKECSG) completed a transit of the Strait of Hormuz to enter the waters of the Arabian Gulf as the Strike Group continues to support USCENTCOM missions.
While in the Arabian Gulf, the IKECSG are patrolling to ensure freedom of… pic.twitter.com/0GzRZQ7awM
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 26, 2023
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, U.S. Central Command announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. This is the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier has sailed in the Persian Gulf since USS Nimitz (CVN-68) operated there in late 2020, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
The following is the complete statement from CENTCOM.
On Nov. 26, the USS MASON (DDG 87), with allied ships from our coalition counter-piracy task force (TF 151), and associated aircraft responded to a distress call from the M/V CENTRAL PARK, a commercial vessel, that they were under attack by an unknown entity. Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The MASON pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender. The crew of the M/V CENTRAL PARK is currently safe.
At approximately 0141 on Nov. 27 Sanaa time, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the USS MASON (DDG 87) and M/V CENTRAL PARK. The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships. The USS MASON (DDG87), which is part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was concluding its response to the M/V CENTRAL PARK distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.
“Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM commander. “We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes.”
