Death of a sailor after the Houthis targeted a Dutch ship in the Gulf of Aden

The Dutch company "Splithoff", which operates the cargo ship "Minervagracht", announced the death of one of the crew members due to his injuries, days after the ship was attacked by the Houthi group in the Gulf of Aden.

In an official statement issued yesterday evening, the company, based in Amsterdam, confirmed that one crew member died while receiving treatment for severe injuries resulting from the explosion that occurred on board the ship.

The company did not disclose the identity of the victim, but a spokesperson stated to a local Dutch radio that the deceased holds Filipino nationality.

The Dutch ship was sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Aden when it was hit by an explosive device, believed to have been planted by the Houthis.

The explosion caused significant damage to the ship's structure, in addition to a fire breaking out on board.

An aerial rescue operation was carried out using a helicopter, resulting in the evacuation of 19 crew members, who are of nationalities: Russian, Ukrainian, Filipino, and Sri Lankan.

The company clarified that one crew member is still receiving medical care in a hospital in Djibouti, and described his condition as "stable", expecting that he will be able to return to his country within this week.

For its part, the Houthi group in Yemen announced its responsibility for the attack, indicating that it comes as part of its operations targeting ships it considers linked to Israel, in support of what it described as "aiding the Palestinian people" amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

It is worth noting that the Houthi group, backed by Iran, has escalated its maritime attacks since 2023, targeting commercial and military cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, raising global concerns about the threat to international navigation security in one of the world's most important strategic maritime corridors.