Maersk denies Houthis struck boxship in Arabian Sea
‘The claims of the attack on Maersk Santa Ursula are false,’ a Maersk spokesperson said
Maersk have denied the Houthis’ claim they struck the Maersk containership Santa Ursula in the Arabian Sea with drones. Vessel-tracking data shows on AIS gap on December 26 that closes the following day, when Santa Ursula arrived at Salalah, Oman
MAERSK has denied Houthis claims that the Denmark-flagged, 7,114 teu boxship Santa Ursula (IMO: 9430387) was attacked.
A Houthi spokesperson said the ship was attacked with drones while sailing in the Arabian Sea east of Socotra Island and that “the hit was direct”.
“The ship was targeted owing to the violation of ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine by the company that owns the ship,” according to a statement posted on X on Friday.
However, a Maersk spokesperson told Lloyd’s List that “the claims of the attack on Maersk Santa Ursula are false”.
No incident was reported by the UK Maritime and Trade Operations, the agency monitoring and reporting maritime incidents in the region.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data shows Santa Ursula left Algeciras in early December and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope towards Salalah, Oman.
The vessel can be seen turning off its Automatic Identification System just after midnight (UTC) on December 26 as it made a sharp northwest turn towards Oman. Its AIS was turned back on in the early hours of the following day off Salalah.
