The alleged hijackers of a Zodiac Maritime tanker are believed to be Somalis rather than Houthis from Yemen, a US Defense Department official said.
Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters that “initial indications” are that the five armed people being held on a US Navy warship for their role in the boarding of the 20,000-dwt Central Park (built 2015) are Somali.
He said the US is still working to assess the situation, but the Gulf of Aden boarding was “clearly a piracy-related incident” based on the actions of the five men.
“They attempted to access the crew cabin,” Ryder said, according to a Defense Department transcript of the press briefing. “The crew essentially were able to lock themselves into a safe haven.
“These individuals attempted to access and take control of the ship. But when the combined task force responded, they essentially fled.”
TradeWinds reported on Sunday that the Central Park — a laden chemical tanker owned by Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac — was boarded either by pirates or suspected Houthi militants.
As TradeWinds has reported, the US Navy destroyer USS Mason responded to the attack on the Central Park after the tanker’s crew retreated to its citadel. All crew members are safe, and the five alleged pirates are being held on the USS Mason.
The warship was aided by vessels and aircraft in the Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 151, which is focused on anti-piracy operations.
The Central Park attack came a week after Yemen-based Houthis seized Ray Car Carriers 5,100-ceu Galaxy Leader (built 2002) in the Red Sea.
And while the Iranian-backed militant group threatened to carry out more attacks on vessels with Israeli links, Somali piracy has been rare in recent years.
Asked by a reporter whether the men have any ties to the Houthis, Ryder pointed to Somalia’s history of piracy.
“You’ve been following this region for a very long time,” Ryder said. “You know that Somali piracy is something that’s out there.”
His description of the boarding of the Central Park incident does seem like a far cry from the made-for-Youtube hijacking of the Galaxy Leader.
In that incident, a Houthi video showed a helicopter dropping militants with assault rifles who swept across the car carrier’s upper deck and quickly took over the bridge, and several military-style fast boats escorted it towards Yemeni waters.
But the Central Park hijack attempt appears to have involved a handful of men in one small boat.
Ryder said coalition vessels surrounded the tanker and demanded its release, and the five alleged assailants onboard attempted to flee in the boat.
A Navy boarding team then pursued the boat and apprehended the suspected pirates. They boarded the Central Park to ensure the crew was safe.
Ryder said no shots were fired.
As the operation was concluded, missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen in the general direction of the USS Mason and the Central Park, landing about 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) from the warship.
Asked whether that had a connection to the five people who boarded the Central Park, Ryder declined to speculate.
“It is not clear at this time what they were targeting,” he said.
