Egypt condemned the hijacking of a cargo ship carrying the flag of the United Arab Emirates while sailing off Yemen’s Hodeidah province.
Egypt stressed that such terrorist acts pose a real threat to freedom of navigation and safety in the Red Sea and are a flagrant violation of the norms of international law, calling for the immediate release of the vessel.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition said on Monday that Iran-backed Houthi militia hijacked a UAE-flagged vessel off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeidah.
Coalition Spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said the ship was carrying medical equipment from Yemen’s Socotra Island to Saudi Arabia’s Jazan Port. The shipment includes ambulances, medical supplies, communication devices, and a field kitchen.
The medical equipment was used at a Saudi field hospital on the island that has since been dismantled after its mission was completed.
Malki said the hijack was another real threat posed by the terrorist Houthis against marine navigation and international trade in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and southern Red Sea.
The spokesperson accused the Houthis of violating international humanitarian law and the San Remo Manual on International Law that applies to armed conflicts at sea.
He warned that the militias must immediately release the vessel, otherwise the coalition will be compelled to take all necessary measures, including force, to reclaim the ship.
