Overview

• EU mission Aspides deployed the Greek frigate Spetsai and a French frigate to evacuate all 19 sailors under SOLAS protocols, with one seriously wounded crew member airlifted to Djibouti.
• The Dutch-flagged MV Minervagracht was struck by a rocket, leaving the vessel heavily damaged and adrift off Djibouti while it was sailing without cargo.
• Shipowner Spliethoff says authorities and experts are arranging salvage operations and reports the injured seafarer is stable, with the crew now in Djibouti.
• Yemen’s Iran-aligned Huthi movement claimed responsibility for the attack, continuing its campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
• International advisories urge extreme caution for regional transits as the EU-led Aspides mission, active since February 2024, works to protect merchant vessels.