Pakistan condemns hijacking of UAE-flagged vessel by Yemen’s Houthis 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the hijacking of a United Arab Emirates-flagged vessel by the Houthi militia in Yemen, the Pakistani foreign office said.
The UAE-flagged ship, Rwabee, was hijacked off the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah by armed Houthis on January 2, the Arab coalition said on Monday, adding it was transporting medical equipment from the remote Yemeni island of Socotra to the Saudi port of Jazan.
The ship hijacked by Yemeni rebels in the Red Sea had 11 crew on board from five countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told the United Nations Security Council president earlier this week. It denounced the “act of piracy” against the UAE-flagged vessel.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the hijacking of the UAE-flagged Cargo Vessel ‘Rawabi’ by the Houthis near the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“Such blatant acts not only threaten the freedom of maritime navigation, but also endanger international trade and security of the region.”
Expressing solidarity with the UAE, Islamabad called for immediate release of the vessel and its crew.