The Anna Meta ship responded on Saturday to the distress call of the Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier, and took the crew to safety.
The ship was attacked in the Gulf of Aden last week by the Yemen-backed Houthis using cruise missiles, and the distress call indicated that Verbena was abandoning the ship, The US Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a Saturday night X post. The vessel's crew struggled to contain fires following the strike.
The post added that an Iranian frigate was eight nautical miles away from the ship at the time of the distress call and did not respond.
"This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," the statement added.
Update on M/V VerbenaOn June 13, Iranian-backed Houthis struck M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier in two separate missile attacks. Today, at approximately 1:45 p.m. (Sanna time), the crew issued a distress call indicating they… pic.twitter.com/oQUdYTtHIO
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 15, 2024