Houthi militia rebels have hijacked a UAE-flagged cargo ship carrying medical equipment off the Yemeni coast in the southern Red Sea, Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Turki Al-Maliki said as per a report from the state news agency SPA on Monday.
The Arab coalition on Monday demanded the immediate release of the ship that, or face the prospect of a “use force if necessary.”
“At (23:57) on Sunday (02 January 2022), the Cargo Ship (RWABEE) sailing under the flag of the United Arab Emirates was targeted through piracy and hijacking while sailing off the coast of Al-Hudaydah Governorate. (RWABEE) was conducting a maritime mission from the Island of (Socotra) to (Jazan) Port,” Al-Maliki said in a report from state news agency SPA.
The ship was carrying medical field equipment, that were used to operate the Saudi Field Hospital in the Island, the spokesperson said in the statement.
The ship’s field hospital equipment cargo includes: (ambulances, medical equipment, communication devices, tents, a field kitchen, field laundry units and technical and security support equipment).
“The terrorist Houthi militia will bear full responsibility as a result of its criminal act of Piracy against the ship, which violates the customary International Humanitarian Law, the San Remo Manual on Armed Conflicts at Sea and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), “said in the statement.
The coalition spokesperson warned that the militia must promptly release the ship, or the Coalition Forces will undertake all necessary measures and procedures to handle this violation, including the use of force if necessary.
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