Filipino crew member dies after Houthi missile attack on Dutch cargo ship

A Filipino crew member of the Dutch cargo vessel MV Minervagracht has died from injuries sustained in last week’s Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden, shipping company Spliethoff told NOS on Tuesday.

The Minervagracht, owned by Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, was struck by a missile while sailing about 200 kilometers off the Yemeni port city of Aden. The attack set the vessel on fire and left it adrift for several days before it was towed to safety. The ship sustained heavy damage.

Nineteen crew members were on board. Two were seriously injured and evacuated to Djibouti for medical treatment. According to Spliethoff, one of them remains hospitalized in the African country but is expected to return home later this week. Most of the crew has already been repatriated.

The Shiite Houthi rebels from Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the Minervagracht had visited one or more Israeli ports and was targeted with a cruise missile for that reason. The Dutch government urged the European Union to add the Houthis to its list of terrorist organizations.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Van Weel also urged EU member states to impose additional sanctions, calling the group “a serious threat to the freedom of navigation.”

Spliethoff did not confirm the Houthis’ claim that the ship had visited Israeli ports but said the vessel was sailing in waters where navigation is permitted under international law.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have reportedly attacked about 100 vessels they say are linked to Israel, sinking four of them.