Conflict - Hapag-Lloyd freighter fired upon in the Red Sea
A container freighter belonging to the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has been shot at in the Red Sea. The "Al Jasrah" was damaged in the attack in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti, but there were no casualties, a spokesman for the Hamburg-based shipping company told the German Press Agency. Spiegel, among others, had previously reported on the attack.
The freighter had reportedly sailed from Piraeus in Greece through the Suez Canal and was heading for Singapore. "There is material damage on board, the crew is unharmed," said the spokesperson. He was initially unable to provide details of the damage. However, the ship was able to continue its journey. According to media reports, there was a fire on board after the shelling.
The spokesperson was also initially unable to provide any information on the origin of the shelling. Yemeni Huthi rebels had recently attacked ships in the Red Sea. It was only on Thursday that German shipowners demanded protective measures from the German government and the EU. With a good 1,800 ships, the German merchant fleet is the seventh largest among the world's major merchant fleets.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked Israel with drones and missiles, among other things. They are also threatening to prevent ships of any nationality from passing through the Red Sea on their way to Israel in future. Only freighters delivering aid to the Gaza Strip would be granted passage. All others would become "legitimate targets of our armed forces", according to the rebels.
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Source: www.stern.de
