The Israel-bound ship Central Park is safe after being detained off the coast of Yemen, the US says.
A US Navy warship responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden that had been hijacked by gunmen and is now safe, US officials said.
The Guardian reported that the tanker, which was carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid, had been identified as the Central Park by the vessel's owning company. Officials have not identified the attackers.One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the warship USS Mason responded to the distress call and the tanker was now free.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
It followed the seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Iran-allied Yemeni Houthis in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which has also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, has vowed to attack more Israeli ships.
The Central Park, a small chemical tanker, is operated by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-based international ship management company owned by Israel's Ofer family. The Liberian-flagged vessel is owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group. /BGNES
