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On March 20, 2024, the 'New Leonidas', en route from Ust-Luga, encountered a small boat while sailing 160 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman, in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel observed armed individuals aboard the boat, along with a ladder. The bulk carrier was followed for approximately 20 minutes by the small boat. The captain reported the people in the boat were armed. When the pirates approached, the armed guards on the bulker fired warning shots, forcing the pirates to retreat without retaliating. The bulk carrier continued on its way.

Somali pirates who made their first contact with the vessel’s owner, SR Shipping, on March 20, held general talks about the ship and the crew members. They informed the company that all the crew members were safe and sound and will not be tortured. No ransom demands have been made yet for the 23 crew abducted on March 12. Commodore Mohammad Maqsood Alam, director general (DG) of the Department of Shipping, said: “We’ve got in touch with them and had positive talks about rescuing the hostages. We’ll soon make efforts to rescue the crew and the ship”. With reports earlier this week that international navies were willing to try and free the ship and its crew, the pirates have let it be known that they have fortified the 'Abdullah'. Anti-aircraft weaponry has been installed on the ship, as well at coastal positions nearby.

The 'Yamilah III', en route from Fujairah to Yanbu, was attacked by Houthi militants approximately 109 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s Nishtun in the Gulf of Aden on March 21, 2024. The master of the tanker reported sighting a small boat with four people on board, which was approaching the tanker. The small boat followed the tanker before beginning an approach. When it was at a close distance the armed security guards aboard the tanker fired warning shots. There was an exchange of small arms fire between the pirates and security guards. The pirate boat departed after the exchange of fire.

An drone of the Houthis was intercepted in the Red Sea by the helicopter on board a French frigate, the 'Languedoc' or 'Alsace', which was targeting a merchant ship on March 20, 2024. Both ships were deployed to the Middle East as part of the EU mission Aspides, launched on Feb 19 to protect ships threatened by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The French Army did not specify which frigate had intercepted the drone nor indicated the exact location of the incident. The French navy has already intercepted drones probably fired by the Houthis on several occasions. Report with photos: https://www.leparisien.fr/international/mer-rouge-la-marine-francaise-intercepte-un-nouveau-drone-tire-depuis-le-yemen-20-03-2024-GEW62ZZZCBD3HBGIQYZBJQ6HBI.php

On March 21 at 9 a.m. the 'Hessen', while providing close protection to a merchant vessel of EU interest in the Southern Red Sea, has destroyed a Houthi drone in the Red Sea, which targeted a civil towing association. It was destroyed with the ship's own helicopter. No further details were mentioned for operational reasons. The ship is tasked to protect merchant ships in the frame of the NATO mssion Aspides.