In a dramatic intervention on Sunday, the U.S. Navy successfully prevented the hijacking of a commercial cargo ship by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia, according to American defense officials. The U.S.S. Mason, a Navy destroyer, captured the attackers who had boarded the Central Park, a chemical tanker, as reported by a senior defense official.
London-based Zodiac Maritime, the company managing the vessel, confirmed the safety of the ship and crew but provided limited details. The distress call originated from the Central Park, reporting an attack by pirates as it transited the Gulf of Aden, approximately 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.
U.S. officials expressed uncertainty about the incident, including whether Iran played a role or if it was unrelated to the heightened regional tensions since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. Houthi rebels, backed by Iran in the Yemen conflict, targeted several commercial vessels in the Red Sea last week, including the Central Park.
The connection between the recent attackers and the previous attempted hijacking remains unclear. While Houthi rebels operate in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, where the Central Park was attacked, is beyond their usual area of operations. Investigation into possible Iranian involvement in the operation is underway, according to a U.S. official and a former Pentagon official.
Responding to the distress call on Sunday, the U.S. Navy and other coalition ships executed the rescue operation. A senior defense official disclosed a previous piracy attempt off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, where the attackers boarded the ship but failed to seize the crew, who had secured themselves in a safe room.
The rescue operation was initially reported by Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter. Zodiac Maritime, controlled by Israeli-born shipping magnate Eyal Ofer, manages the Central Park, which has a diverse crew comprising Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian, Filipino nationals, led by a Turkish captain.
Amid concerns about Iran’s influence in the region, the Pentagon and Biden administration officials had been deliberating on measures to deter additional attacks on shipping or commerce even before the Central Park incident.
