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Tag: Cargo Ship

  • Crews battle hazardous fire on cargo ship in San Pedro, major emergency declared

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    A major emergency was declared at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday night as 186 firefighters worked to combat a massive and stubborn blaze involving hazardous materials on a cargo ship, authorities said.

    An electrical fire was reported below deck of the 1,100-foot container ship 1 Henry Hudson at 6:38 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. An explosion rattled the boat just before 8 p.m., affecting power to lights and cranes, authorities said.

    Hazardous materials are in several of the cargo containers involved in the blaze and all firefighters are wearing protective suits and oxygen masks, according to LAFD. Specially trained hazardous materials crews are monitoring air quality as efforts continue to suppress the fire in the ship’s sub-levels.

    Marine crews are working to cool the outside of the ship to make conditions on the boat more tenable for firefighting crews. As of 8 p.m., incident command had instructed that no firefighting members go below deck.

    At that time progress on containment remained slow, according to LAFD. The ship did not appear to be sinking despite a large amount of water being used to fight the fire.

    Drones were being used to acquire thermal imaging of the blaze and assist the emergency response, authorities said.

    Earlier in the evening, authorities said six of the boat’s crew members were unaccounted for. At 8:30 p.m., LAFD confirmed that all 23 crew members had been found and safely assisted off the ship. No injuries have been reported.

    The California Highway Patrol announced at 10:30 p.m. that the Vincent Thomas Bridge, a main access point to the port’s terminals, would be closed until further notice due to the fire. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and follow detour routes.

    The U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the incident and established a safety perimeter of one nautical mile around the vessel.

    The cargo ship sails under the flag of Panama and arrived in the Port of L.A. on Wednesday after traveling from Tokyo, according to Vessel Finder.

    In a statement on X, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said the city is continuing to monitor the incident closely. Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the incident and his office is coordinating with local authorities to support the emergency response, officials said.

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    Clara Harter

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  • Footage shows armed guards destroying Houthi sea ‘drone’ boat, not Somali pirates

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    In recent months, Somali pirate activity has been recorded off the Horn of Africa, with several hijackings reported. Posts recently shared on social media purport to show Somali pirates under fire after a hijacking attempt on a cargo ship. But this is false; the video shows Ukrainian armed guards on a container ship destroying a Houthi uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in the Red Sea in 2024.

    Somali pirates made a daring move to hijack a cargo ship in open waters but their plans quickly sank when they realized the vessel had its own heavily armed security team on board,” reads a Facebook post published on August 11, 2025.

    Screenshot of the false post, taken on August 19, 2025

    The footage shows a cargo ship at sea and a small boat speeding towards it. Armed guards with protective gear on deck open fire, and the boat bursts into flames before reaching its target.

    The video was also shared elsewhere on Facebook and Instagram with similar claims.

    Somali pirates

    Somali piracy emerged in the late 1990s, after the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991 left its waters unprotected. Armed groups exploited this vacuum, hijacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and wider Indian Ocean, holding crews for ransom (archived here).

    At their peak in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks, while a World Bank estimate indicates piracy in 2010 cost the global economy $18 billion (archived here and  here).

    However, sustained international naval patrols by the European Union Naval Force’s (EUNAVFOR) Operation Atalanta mission and the multinational Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), combined with onboard armed guards, helped significantly reduce the attacks by 2013 (archived here and here).

    The last major incident occurred in 2017 when Somali pirates hijacked the Aris 13, a Comoros-flagged oil tanker (archived here).

    More recently, piracy incidents off Somalia involving Yemeni fishing vessels and a dhow were reported in early 2025 (archived here).

    However, social media posts with a video claiming to show Somali pirates under attack are false.

    Houthi drone boat

    AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches for keyframes from the video, and the results established that the clip is old and unrelated to Somali piracy.

    The clip was featured in a July 23, 2024, article by The War Zone (TWZ) with the headline, “Ship Security Team Appears To Detonate Explosive-Laden Houthi Drone Boat With Gunfire” (archived here).

    <span>Screenshot of the TWZ article, taken on August 19, 2025</span>

    Screenshot of the TWZ article, taken on August 19, 2025

    According to the report, on July 20, security guards aboard a vessel identified as the Liberian-flagged container ship “Pumba”, fired about two dozen rounds at a Houthi USV roughly 64 nautical miles northwest of Al Mukha, Yemen, in the Red Sea, destroying it in an explosion.

    A USV is a boat that operates on the surface of the sea without a human operator on-board. It can be controlled remotely or programmed to conduct missions and can be packed with explosives and designed to ram into ships before detonating (archived here).

    Matching features, including the ship deck and exploding boat, can be seen in the clip shared on Facebook and a screenshot published by TWZ in 2024.

    <span>Screenshots comparing the false post and the 2024 TWZ article, taken on August 19, 2025</span>

    Screenshots comparing the false post and the 2024 TWZ article, taken on August 19, 2025

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy-run organisation that acts as a link between military forces and commercial vessels in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region, issued a warning about the incident at the time (archived here and here).

    UKMTO has received a report of an incident 64NM northwest of Al Mukha, Yemen,” reads the X post.

    The Master reports two attacks: the first by an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS), which exploded in close proximity to the vessel, resulting in minor damage; the second by an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), which also exploded in close proximity to the vessel.

    The incident was also reported by other media outlets (archived here and here).

    Houthis, an armed group based in Yemen, have targeted several commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since late 2023. The group has claimed that its actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (archived here and here).

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  • Baltimore bridge collapses after cargo ship hits support column; 6 presumed dead, Coast Guard says

    Baltimore bridge collapses after cargo ship hits support column; 6 presumed dead, Coast Guard says

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    A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning.The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.As the vessel neared the bridge, puffs of black smoke could be seen as the lights flickered on and off. It struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy, and a section of the span came to rest on the bow. With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions were expected to improve. No bodies have been recovered, Butler said.The crash happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles and was used by 12 million vehicles last year.The six missing people were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.Video below: Brother of bridge victim speaks after prayer vigilGuatemala’s consulate in Maryland said in a statement that two of the missing were citizens of the Central American nation. It did not provide their names but said consular officials were in contact with authorities and assisting the families.Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio García told The Associated Press that a Honduran citizen, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, was missing. He said he had been in contact with Suazo’s family.And the Washington Consulate of Mexico said via the social media platform X that citizens of that nation were also among the missing. It did not say how many.A senior executive at the company that employed the workers also said, in the afternoon, that the workers were presumed dead given the water’s depth and how much time had passed. Aerial footage below shows Baltimore bridge collapse aftermathJeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it came down.“This was so completely unforeseen,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers.”Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks.“I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”Father Ako Walker, a Roman Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said he spent time with the families of the missing workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.“You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Walker said.Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: ‘Please pray for these families’ of missing workersRescuers pulled two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside. “It looked like something out of an action movie,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”Video below shows moment Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsesA police dispatcher put out a call just before the collapse saying a ship had lost its steering and asked officers to stop all traffic on the bridge, according to Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.One officer who stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic officer said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.”On a separate radio channel for maintenance and construction workers, someone said officers were stopping traffic because a ship had lost steering. There was no follow-up order to evacuate, and 30 seconds later the bridge fell and the channel went silent.From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.Tuesday’s collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare along the East Coast for months, if not years, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major hub. The loss of the bridge will also snarl cargo and commuter traffic.Video below: The history of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaking at a news conference near the site, said it was too soon to estimate how long it will take to clear the channel, which is about 50 feet deep.“I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” he said.Video below: Some of Sec. Buttigieg’s comments during a press conference TuesdayThe Dali, which was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka and flying under a Singapore flag, is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to according to data from Marine Traffic.Synergy Marine Group — which manages the ship, called the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely into and out of ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.Video below: When were the bridge, the Dali last inspected?Synergy said all crew members and the two pilots on board were accounted for, and there were no reports of any injuries.The ship was moving at 8 knots, roughly 9 mph, the governor said.Inspectors found a problem with the Dali’s machinery in June, but a more recent examination did not identify any deficiencies, according to the shipping information system Equasis.Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel.Jagged remnants of the bridge could be seen jutting up from the water in the aftermath of the collapse. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.Donald Heinbuch, a retired chief with Baltimore’s fire department, said he was startled awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds and “felt like an earthquake.” He drove to the river’s edge and couldn’t believe what he saw.“The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up,” he said.Video below: President Biden on Baltimore bridge collapse The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks.President Joe Biden said he planned to travel to Baltimore and intends for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of rebuilding.“This is going to take some time,” Biden said. Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state.Video below: Maryland Secretary of Transportation responds to Key Bridge collapseThe head of a supply chain management company said Americans should expect shortages of goods from the effect of the collapse on ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking.“It’s not just the port of Baltimore that’s going to be impacted,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.The collapse, though, is not likely to hurt worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels, but its facilities are more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.___Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report, including Sarah Brumfield, Rebecca Santana, Jake Offenhartz, Joshua Goodman, Ben Finley, Claudia Lauer, Brian Witte, Juliet Linderman, David McHugh, John Seewer, Michael Kunzelman and Mike Catalini.

    BALTIMORE —

    A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning.

    The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.

    As the vessel neared the bridge, puffs of black smoke could be seen as the lights flickered on and off. It struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy, and a section of the span came to rest on the bow.

    With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

    “These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”

    In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions were expected to improve. No bodies have been recovered, Butler said.

    The crash happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles and was used by 12 million vehicles last year.

    The six missing people were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.

    Video below: Brother of bridge victim speaks after prayer vigil

    Guatemala’s consulate in Maryland said in a statement that two of the missing were citizens of the Central American nation. It did not provide their names but said consular officials were in contact with authorities and assisting the families.

    Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio García told The Associated Press that a Honduran citizen, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, was missing. He said he had been in contact with Suazo’s family.

    And the Washington Consulate of Mexico said via the social media platform X that citizens of that nation were also among the missing. It did not say how many.

    A senior executive at the company that employed the workers also said, in the afternoon, that the workers were presumed dead given the water’s depth and how much time had passed.

    Aerial footage below shows Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath

    Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it came down.

    “This was so completely unforeseen,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers.”

    Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks.

    “I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”

    Father Ako Walker, a Roman Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said he spent time with the families of the missing workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.

    “You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Walker said.

    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: ‘Please pray for these families’ of missing workers

    Rescuers pulled two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside.

    “It looked like something out of an action movie,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”

    Video below shows moment Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses

    A police dispatcher put out a call just before the collapse saying a ship had lost its steering and asked officers to stop all traffic on the bridge, according to Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.

    One officer who stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic officer said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.”

    On a separate radio channel for maintenance and construction workers, someone said officers were stopping traffic because a ship had lost steering. There was no follow-up order to evacuate, and 30 seconds later the bridge fell and the channel went silent.

    From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

    Tuesday’s collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare along the East Coast for months, if not years, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major hub. The loss of the bridge will also snarl cargo and commuter traffic.

    Video below: The history of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge

    “Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaking at a news conference near the site, said it was too soon to estimate how long it will take to clear the channel, which is about 50 feet deep.

    “I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” he said.

    Video below: Some of Sec. Buttigieg’s comments during a press conference Tuesday

    The Dali, which was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka and flying under a Singapore flag, is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to according to data from Marine Traffic.

    Synergy Marine Group — which manages the ship, called the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely into and out of ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.

    Video below: When were the bridge, the Dali last inspected?

    Synergy said all crew members and the two pilots on board were accounted for, and there were no reports of any injuries.

    The ship was moving at 8 knots, roughly 9 mph, the governor said.

    Inspectors found a problem with the Dali’s machinery in June, but a more recent examination did not identify any deficiencies, according to the shipping information system Equasis.

    Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel.

    Jagged remnants of the bridge could be seen jutting up from the water in the aftermath of the collapse. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.

    Donald Heinbuch, a retired chief with Baltimore’s fire department, said he was startled awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds and “felt like an earthquake.” He drove to the river’s edge and couldn’t believe what he saw.

    “The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up,” he said.

    Video below: President Biden on Baltimore bridge collapse

    The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

    Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks.

    President Joe Biden said he planned to travel to Baltimore and intends for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of rebuilding.

    “This is going to take some time,” Biden said.

    Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state.

    Video below: Maryland Secretary of Transportation responds to Key Bridge collapse

    The head of a supply chain management company said Americans should expect shortages of goods from the effect of the collapse on ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking.

    “It’s not just the port of Baltimore that’s going to be impacted,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.

    The collapse, though, is not likely to hurt worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels, but its facilities are more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.

    ___

    Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report, including Sarah Brumfield, Rebecca Santana, Jake Offenhartz, Joshua Goodman, Ben Finley, Claudia Lauer, Brian Witte, Juliet Linderman, David McHugh, John Seewer, Michael Kunzelman and Mike Catalini.

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  • Video shows moment when Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapses

    Video shows moment when Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapses

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    Video shows moment when Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapses

    A cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below, sending people into the frigid water.Watch video of the bridge collapse in the player above.Two people were pulled from the Patapsco River, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said. One person wasn’t injured and the other was taken to a local trauma center in “very serious condition.”Rescuers are searching for multiple people in the water.Aerial footage below shows Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath

    BALTIMORE —

    A cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below, sending people into the frigid water.

    Watch video of the bridge collapse in the player above.

    Two people were pulled from the Patapsco River, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said. One person wasn’t injured and the other was taken to a local trauma center in “very serious condition.”

    Rescuers are searching for multiple people in the water.

    Aerial footage below shows Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath

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  • Russian media claims Houthis have hypersonic missiles to target U.S. ships in the Red Sea

    Russian media claims Houthis have hypersonic missiles to target U.S. ships in the Red Sea

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    Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported Thursday, potentially raising the stakes in their ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways, which the group claims it is carrying out in response to Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

    The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unnamed official but provided no evidence for the claim. It comes as Moscow maintains an aggressively counter-Western foreign policy amid its grinding war on Ukraine.

    However, the Houthis have for weeks hinted about “surprises” they plan for the battles at sea to counter the United States and its allies, which have so far been able to down any missile or bomb-carrying drone that comes near their warships in Mideast waters.

    Meanwhile, Iran and the U.S. reportedly held indirect talks in Oman, the first in months amid their long-simmering tensions over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and attacks by its proxies.

    IRAN-POLITICS-MILITARY
    A truck carries a missile said by officials to be an Iranian-made Fattah hypersonic ballistic missile during an annual military parade in Tehran, Sept. 22, 2023.

    AFP/Getty


    Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, claims to have a hypersonic missile and is widely accused of arming the rebels with the missiles they now use. Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a more-formidable challenge to the air defense systems employed by America and its allies, including Israel.

    “The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel,” a military official close to the Houthis said, according to the RIA report. The Houthis “intend to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.”

    Mach 8 is eight times the speed of sound.

    Russia has maintained close ties with Iran, relying on Iranian bomb-carrying drones to target Ukraine. Russian state media, particularly its Arabic-language services, have closely reported on Yemen’s yearslong civil war that pits the Iran-backed Houthis against forces of the internationally backed Yemeni government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition.

    Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds higher than Mach 5, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.


    Inside the race to develop hypersonic weapons

    02:21

    The danger from a hypersonic missile depends on how maneuverable it is. Ballistic missiles fly on a trajectory in which anti-missile systems like the U.S.-made Patriot can anticipate their path and intercept them. The more irregular the missile’s flight path, such as a hypersonic missile with the ability to change directions, the more difficult it becomes to intercept.

    China is believed to be pursuing the weapons, as is America. Russia claims it has already used them on the battlefield in Ukraine. However, speed and maneuverability isn’t a guarantee the missile will successfully strike a target. Ukraine’s air force in May said it shot down a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile with a Patriot battery.


    Russia launches hypersonic missiles in massive assault on Ukraine

    01:52

    In Yemen, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi rebels’ secretive supreme leader, boasted about the rebels’ weapons efforts at the end of February.

    “We have surprises that the enemies do not expect at all,” he warned at the time.

    A week ago, he similarly warned: “What is coming is greater.”

    “The enemy … will see the level of achievements of strategic importance that place our country in its capabilities among the limited and numbered countries in this world,” al-Houthi said, without elaborating.

    After seizing Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the Houthis ransacked government arsenals, which held Soviet-era Scud missiles and other arms.

    As the Saudi-led coalition entered Yemen’s conflict in 2015, the Houthis arsenal was increasingly targeted. Soon — and despite Yemen having no indigenous missile manufacturing infrastructure — newer missiles made their way into rebel hands.

    Iran long has denied arming the Houthis, likely because of a yearslong United Nations arms embargo on the rebels. However, the U.S. and its allies have seized multiple arms shipments bound for the rebels in Mideast waters. Weapons experts as well have tied Houthi arms seized on the battlefield back to Iran.


    4 charged in connection with Navy SEAL deaths near Somali coast

    04:36

    Iran also now claims to have a hypersonic weapon. In June, Iran unveiled its Fattah, or “Conqueror” in Farsi, missile, which it described as being a hypersonic. It described another as being in development.

    Iran’s mission to the U.N. did not respond to a request for comment Thursday, nor did the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which patrols Mideast waterways.

    Israel’s military — which also has come under Houthi fire since the war against Hamas erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage — declined to comment.

    Also Thursday, The Financial Times reported that the U.S. and Iran held indirect talks in Oman in January “to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea.” The last known round of such talks had come last May.

    Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency indirectly acknowledged the talks but insisted they were “merely limited to negotiations on lifting anti-Iran sanctions.”

    The U.S. State Department did not immediately acknowledge the talks or comment.

    The Houthis have attacked ships since November, saying they want to force Israel to end the war in Gaza, which has seen over 31,000 Palestinians killed in the besieged strip. The ships attacked, however, have increasingly had little or no connection to Israel, the U.S. or other nations involved in the war.

    But the assaults have raised the profile of the Houthis, whose Zaydi people ruled a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962. Adding a new weapon to their arsenal would put more pressure on Israel after a cease-fire deal failed to take hold in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.


    Violence erupts near Jerusalem as Gaza cease-fire talks stall

    02:56

    Earlier in March, a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel. It marked their first fatal attack by the Houthis on shipping.

    Other recent Houthi actions include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar, which later sank after drifting for several days, and the downing of an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.

    A new suspected Houthi attack targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, but missed the vessel and caused no damage, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

    Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Iran transferred a new, hypersonic weapon to the Houthis. However, the question is how maneuverable such a weapon would be at hypersonic speeds and whether it could hit moving targets, like ships in the Red Sea.

    “I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that the Houthis have some system that has some maneuvering capability to some extent,” Hinz said. “It is also possible for the Iranians to transfer new stuff for the Houthis to test it.”

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  • 3/6: Prime Time with John Dickerson

    3/6: Prime Time with John Dickerson

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    3/6: Prime Time with John Dickerson – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    John Dickerson reports on a deadly Houthi attack in the Red Sea, Nikki Haley’s departure from the 2024 race, and why a bipartisan bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. is picking up support.

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  • Suspected Houthi missile hits ship in Gulf of Aden as Yemeni rebels continue attacks over Israel-Hamas war

    Suspected Houthi missile hits ship in Gulf of Aden as Yemeni rebels continue attacks over Israel-Hamas war

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    Dubai, United Arab Emirates — A suspected missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday as Israel intercepted what appeared to be another Houthi attack near the port city of Eilat, authorities said. The attacks come as the Iran-backed rebels escalate their assaults over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

    The attack Thursday in the Gulf of Aden saw two missiles fired, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the unnamed ship was ablaze, without elaborating.

    Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press identified the vessel as a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander. It had been coming from Thailand bound for Egypt and previously sent out messages saying “SYRIAN CREW ON BOARD” to potentially avoid being targeted by the Houthis.

    Gulf of Aden area, connecting Red Sea and Arabian Sea, political map

    Getty/iStockphoto


    “The missile attack lead to a fire onboard and coalition military assets were responding to the incident,” the private security firm Ambrey said.

    The ship’s Liberian-listed owners could not be immediately reached for comment.

    Israel intercepts missile headed for Red Sea port 

    Sirens sounded early Thursday morning over Eilat, followed by videos posted online of what appeared to be an interception in the sky overhead. The Israeli military later said the interception was carried out by its Arrow missile defense system.

    Israel did not identify what the fire was, nor where it came from. However, the Arrow system intercepts long-range ballistic missiles with a warhead designed to destroy targets while they are in space.

    The system “successfully intercepted a launch which was identified in the area of the Red Sea and was en route to Israel,” the Israeli military said. “The target did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.”

    The Houthis did not immediately claim either attack. They typically acknowledge assaults they conduct hours afterward.


    Navy admiral explains how Iran supports Houthi militants

    01:22

    Eilat, on the Red Sea, is a key port city of Israel. On Oct. 31, Houthis first claimed a missile-and-drone barrage targeting the city. The rebels have claimed other attacks targeting Eilat, which have caused no damage in the city.

    Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over Israel’s war against Hamas. They have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe. Those vessels have included at least one with cargo for Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor.

    Houthi attacks continue despite U.S.-led strikes in Yemen

    Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks. This week, they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and shot down an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.

    A U.S. defense official confirmed to CBS News that a Houthi surface to air missile downed a Reaper drone, adding that U.S. aircraft and coalition warships shot down 10 one-way suicide drones on Monday evening, as the U.S. carried out more strikes in Yemen, this time targeting a surface to air missile launch site and another drone that was being prepared for launch.


    Houthis claim to shoot down U.S. drone after weekend of self-defense strikes by U.S.

    04:50

    Over the weekend, CENTCOM said it had also carried out a self-defense strike in Yemen against a Houthi unmanned underwater vessel, the first time the U.S. has reported the Shiite Muslim rebels using an underwater drone since attacks in the Red Sea region started in October.

    The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.

    On Wednesday, ships in the Red Sea off the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen reported seeing an explosion, though all vessels in the area were said to be safe, the UKTMO said. The UKMTO earlier reported heavy drone activity in the area.

    The U.S. State Department criticized “the reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships by the Houthis” that have delayed humanitarian aid including food and medicine bound for Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. That includes the Sea Champion, a ship carrying corn and other aid to both Aden and Hodeida.

    Map of Middle East showing Iran-backed groups including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon

    CBS News


    “Contrary to what the Houthis may attempt to claim, their attacks do nothing to help the Palestinians,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Their actions are not bringing a single morsel of assistance or food to the Palestinian people.”

    Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM, told “60 Minutes” that despite the ongoing attacks in the vital shipping lanes, it’s clear the U.S. military is degrading the Houthis’ capability.

    “Every single day they attempt to attack us, we’re eliminating and disrupting them in ways that are meaningful, and I do believe have an impact,” he told Norah O’Donnell.

    Cooper said he has an endgame in mind, which is “the restoration of the free flow of commerce and safe navigation in the Southern Red Sea,” but he didn’t say when that could be expected.

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  • 1/29: CBS Evening News

    1/29: CBS Evening News

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    1/29: CBS Evening News – CBS News


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    U.S. troops killed in drone strike identified; Judge rejects Alex Murdaugh’s request for new trial

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  • US Navy helicopters kill Iran-backed Houthi fighters attempting to board a cargo ship in Red Sea

    US Navy helicopters kill Iran-backed Houthi fighters attempting to board a cargo ship in Red Sea

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    • Navy helicopters fired on Iran-backed Houthi gunmen attempting to hijack a cargo ship.

    • The helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews.

    • The small boats originated from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, said US Central Command.

    The conflict in the Red Sea escalated on Sunday when US Navy helicopters fired on and destroyed the boats of Iranian-backed Houthi gunmen attempting to board a cargo ship.

    The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, attempted to board the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-registered, Danish-owned cargo ship, said US Central Command (Centcom).

    Responding to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou, US warship helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and Gravely engaged the Houthi vessels.

    After being shot at by gunmen in the boats, the US Navy helicopters returned fire, sinking three and killing all the crew, Centcom said.

    It added that the fourth boat “fled the area” and no damage had been recorded to US personnel or equipment.

    Earlier, the US Navy’s USS Gravely successfully intercepted two anti-ship ballistic missiles while responding to a Houthi attack on the Maersk Hangzhou, per Centcom.

    The container ship was also struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea, it said. The vessel was reported as seaworthy and there was no injury to crew.

    Maersk has paused sailings through the Red Sea for 48 hours in response to the attempted attack.

    The US Navy’s interception of the assault countered the 23rd illegal attack by Houthi rebels on international shipping since November 19.

    A vital shipping lane

    Houthi

    Yemen’s Houthi loyalists lift their weapons as they take part in an armed parade for more than 20,000 members who have finished a military course, staged to show their willingness to battle any potential attack by the recently created coalition by the U.S., on December 20, 2023 in Amran province, Yemen.Mohammed Hamoud

    For weeks now, the Iran-backed Yemen rebel group has been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea with drones and ballistic missiles in protest of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

    Leading shipping firms, including Maersk, have reroutes vessels from the vital shipping lane, impacting global shipping routes and international trade.

    The Houthi assaults on vital shipping lanes have prompted the US to launch Operation Prosperity Guardian — an international Naval coalition aimed at safeguarding shipping in the region.

    The Houthis have continued with their attacks despite the US’ response. US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper stated that, since the operation’s launch, 1,200 commercial ships have passed through the Red Sea without incident until Saturday’s missile strike, per the BBC.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

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  • Cargo ship carrying burning lithium-ion batteries reaches Alaska, but kept offshore for safety

    Cargo ship carrying burning lithium-ion batteries reaches Alaska, but kept offshore for safety

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    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A large cargo ship with a fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.

    There were no injuries to the 19 crew members aboard the Genius Star XI, which was carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries across the Pacific Ocean, from Vietnam to San Diego, the guard’s Alaska district said in a release.

    The fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1, a spokesperson for ship owner Wisdom Marine Group said in a statement. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.

    Ship’s personnel alerted the Coast Guard early Thursday morning about the fire. The Coast Guard said it diverted the 410-foot (125-meter) cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports located in Unalaska, an Aleutian Islands community about 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.

    The ship arrived Friday, but an order preventing the Genius Star XI from going close to shore was issued to “mitigate risks associated with burning lithium-ion batteries or toxic gasses produced by the fire,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno said in an email to The Associated Press.

    “The city’s primary concern is protecting the health and safety of our community members, the environment, fisheries and commerce,” Unalaska acting city manager Marjie Veeder said in a statement.

    Veeder said the city’s emergency operations center “is acting on behalf of the community and advocating our position to protect our community. We are actively monitoring the situation.”

    There is danger associated with any vessel fire, prompting the Coast Guard to issue another safety measure besides preventing the ship from getting closer than 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) to shore.

    ”The safety of Unalaska residents and the surrounding communities is a top priority for us, so as a precaution we are keeping a one-mile (1.61-kilometer) safety zone around the vessel,” Salerno said.

    The owners said there has been no oil leaks associated with the incident.

    A team of marine firefighting experts late Friday conducted an assessment of the ship and found no signs of structural deformation or blistering outside of the cargo hold, the Coast Guard said.

    That team remains on board the ship to evaluate the situation, Salerno said.

    An expert hired by the Taipei, Taiwan-based Wisdom Marine Group “is working diligently to create contingency plans, arrange for a firefighting team, and ensure the necessary equipment is in place,’ the group said in a statement.

    The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the fire.

    The Genius Star XI left Vietnam on Dec. 10 en route to Dutch Harbor, according to the Marine Traffic website. The ship with a carrying capacity of more than 13,000 tons (11,793 metric tonnes) sails under the flag of Panama.

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  • U.S. sending Navy ships to protect Red Sea shipping

    U.S. sending Navy ships to protect Red Sea shipping

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    U.S. sending Navy ships to protect Red Sea shipping – CBS News


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    The U.S. and several other countries are sending warships to the southern Red Sea to protect shipping routes. Several shipping vessels have come under fire from Iran-backed Houthi rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Ramy Inocencio has the latest.

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  • Crews struggle to put out a deadly cargo ship fire in New Jersey

    Crews struggle to put out a deadly cargo ship fire in New Jersey

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    Crews struggle to put out a deadly cargo ship fire in New Jersey – CBS News


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    Officials say the fire aboard a cargo ship in New Jersey will likely continue to burn for days. Crews at the scene are having trouble putting out the flames, and two firefighters already died. CBS News national correspondent Errol Barnett has the latest from Newark.

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