YEMEN’S Houthi-led government attacked a United States-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, officials said.

The attack on the Genco Picardy represented the second in recent days targeting vessels directly linked to the US after Washington-led strikes targeting the Yemenis. 

It also underlined the risks to shipping in the vital waterway amid Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack happened 70 miles south-east of Aden, where the drone smashed into the vessel, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an arm of the British navy that oversees Middle East waterways.

The UKMTO said that the ship’s captain reported that the “vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to the next port of call.”

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Yemenis, identified the ship attacked as the bulk carrier Genco Picardy. 

The Yemenis “confirm that a response to the US and British attacks is inevitably coming and that any new attack will not remain without response and punishment,” Brigadier General Saree said.

Ship-ownership data listed the Genco Picardy’s owner as New York City-based Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

In a statement, Genco acknowledged the attack and said that the vessel was carrying a load of phosphate rock.

“All seafarers aboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the company said.

The Yemenis say that the attacks are aimed at halting the brutal Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza which was sparked by the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 that left 1,200 dead and during which some 250 were taken captive.

The attacks have now expanded to hitting US-linked vessels. On Monday, the Yemenis hit the US-owned Gibraltar Eagle.

The US and its British allies have carried out three rounds of air strikes targeting Yemeni sites over the last week. 

But the Yemenis have launched several attacks in the time since.