Pirates allied with the Iran-backed Houthi militia hijacked a UAE-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Al-Hudaydah governorate on Sunday, the official spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has said. "At 23:57 on Sunday, 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," Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said. The ship was conducting a maritime mission from Socotra Island to Jazan Port when it was targeted. It carried hospital equipment that were used to operate the Saudi Field Hospital on Socotra. The cargo included ambulances, medical equipment, communication devices, tents, a field kitchen, field laundry units and technical and security support equipment. This act of piracy by the terrorist Houthi militia is a credible threat that highlights the danger of the terrorist Houthi militia on the freedom of navigation and international trade in the South Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Al-Malki said. 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), he said. "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," Al-Malki warned. — SG/SPA
