Gunmen on small boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, monitors said, in the latest attack on the vital shipping lane.
The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
"The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels that have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. The armed security team has returned fire, and the situation is ongoing," said UKMTO, which is run by Britain's Royal Navy.
UK-based security firm Ambrey reported the merchant vessel was subsequently struck by two unmanned surface vehicles, "damaging the vessel's cargo," while two other unmanned vessels were repelled.
It added the commercial ship "was still underway."
Hodeida is controlled by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, and though no one has claimed responsibility for the assault, Ambrey said the vessel matched "the established Houthi target profile."
Ambrey earlier reported the merchant vessel "was approached and attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea" before being attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Houthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, began firing at Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
They broadened their campaign to target ships linked to the United States and Britain after military strikes by the two countries began in January 2024.
In May, the group struck a ceasefire with the United States but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, despite agreeing to the truce that ended weeks of intense American strikes targeting the group.
The Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels since launching their anti-shipping campaign and have prompted some freight companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.
AFP
Comments