USS Mason Responds to Distress Call

The USS Mason, which is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, had responded to a distress call from M/V Central Park, a commercial ship, saying it was under attack, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

"Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel," CENTCOM wrote. "Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The MASON pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender."

According to The Associated Press, the Central Park is a tanker ship carrying phosphoric acid and has an international crew of 22. CENTCOM confirmed that the ship's crew is safe.

The missiles were fired early Monday morning local time as the USS Mason was "concluding its response" to the distress call, CENTCOM said.

The Central Park sails under the Liberian flag and is managed by Zodiac Maritime, according to The Associated Press.

Zodiac Maritime, a London-based shipping company, is reported to be the owner of a vessel that was seized by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The vessel, named Central Park, was described as being owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc., but records directly linked Zodiac as the owner. Zodiac Maritime is part of the Zodiac Group, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. British corporate records show that individuals with the last name Ofer, including Daniel Guy Ofer, have served as directors of Clumvez Shipping and Zodiac Maritime.

The Houthi rebels, who have controlled the capital city of Sanaa since 2014, have not commented on the seizure. However, Yemen's internationally recognized government, based in Aden, has blamed the rebels for the attack. In a statement, the government denounced the "acts of maritime piracy" carried out by the Houthi militias with the support of the Iranian regime.

The attack took place in a part of the Gulf of Aden that is theoretically under the control of the Yemeni government's forces and is far from Houthi-controlled territory. Somali pirates are not known to operate in that area.

This is not the first time Zodiac Maritime has been targeted in the ongoing shadow war between Iran and Israel. In 2021, an attack carried out by Iran using a drone resulted in the death of two crew members aboard Zodiac's oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman. The incident was assessed by the U.S. and other Western nations to be an Iranian attack.

British Military Warns of Seizure of Cargo Ship in Middle East

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, had earlier issued a warning to sailors that "two black-and-white craft carrying eight persons in military-style clothing" had been seen in the area.

The UKMTO put the Central Park's location over 35 miles south of Yemen's coast, some 50 miles east of Djibouti and around 70 miles northeast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, a key shipping route.

Also on Sunday, the USS Eisenhower, which had been deployed to the region amid the Israel-Hamas war, entered the Arabian Gulf after sailing through the Straight of Hormuz, CENTCOM said.

The aircraft carrier was accompanied by guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and the USS Stethem and the French frigate Languedoc, CENTCOM said. 

The Central Park seizure comes after a container ship, CMA CGM Symi, owned by another Israeli billionaire, came under attack Friday by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean. Iran has not acknowledged carrying out the attack, nor did it respond to questions from the AP about that assault.

Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days.