A UK-registered cargo ship reported being under attack in the Bab Al Mandab Strait off Yemen on Sunday, said British maritime security firm Ambrey, while UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported crew abandoning a ship off Yemen after an explosion.
Ambrey said on Sunday that a Belize-flagged, UK-registered and Lebanese-operated open hatch general cargo ship had reported being under attack in Bab al-Mandab Strait.
“Military authorities report crew have abandoned the vessel”, UKMTO added in an updated advisory note early on Monday, adding that the vessel was at anchor and all crew were safe.
Yemen’s Houthi group has launched repeated drone and missile attacks against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandab Strait since mid-November, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel wages war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attacks have prompted several companies to halt Red Sea journeys and opt for a longer and more expensive route around Africa, and US and British warplanes have carried out retaliatory strikes across Yemen.
There was no immediate comment in Houthi-run media on the incident.
