The incident involving the CMA CGM container ship Koi is becoming clearer after a Houthi spokesperson announced on February 1st that their missile had struck the vessel. Subsequent rumors also circulated about a fire onboard. However, throughout the day, the French company refuted claims of a missile strike on its ship. A spokesperson for CMA CGM informed Lloyd's List that "the ship briefly changed course to assist in the medical evacuation of a crew member who had fallen ill." According to the publication, the Koi was navigating off the coast between Oman and Yemen on the morning of January 30th and had turned off its tracking system before entering the Gulf of Aden. Then, on the morning of February 1st, it docked in Djibouti, an unscheduled stop on its route to the Suez Canal.
The bulletin from the United States Central Command corroborates CMA CGM's denial. It states, "At approximately 12:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), two anti-ship ballistic missile were launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen likely towards the M/V Koi in the Red Sea. The missiles impacted in the water without hitting the ship. There were no injuries and no damage reported to the M/V Koi or coalition ships in the area. M/V Koi is a Liberian flagged, Bermuda-owned cargo ship". During the day, U.S. military forces downed a Houthi drone "heading toward the international shipping lane and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region”.
