UK Maritime Agency Reports Attack on Commercial Vessel in Red Sea Near Yemen
According to the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a merchant vessel navigating the Red Sea has ignited after an attack involving multiple projectiles near the western coast of Yemen.
The agency has reported an incident involving armed individuals on small boats who launched rocket-propelled grenades and fired small arms at an unidentified vessel, situated 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of Yemen’s strategic port city of Hudaydah on Sunday.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported that a vessel came under attack by several smaller boats armed with small firearms and self-propelled grenades. In response, the vessel’s armed security teams returned fire.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the incident led to a fire outbreak on board, and the situation remains active at this time.
Ambrey, a maritime security organization based in the United Kingdom, reported that a merchant vessel encountered an aggressive assault by eight skiffs while traveling northbound in the Red Sea. The vessel came under attack with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Subsequently, it was reported that two drone boats impacted the vessel, while two others were neutralized by the armed security personnel on board.
No entity has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it coincides with ongoing retaliatory actions by Yemen’s armed forces in response to the Israeli regime’s continuing conflict with Palestinians in Gaza.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, Yemeni forces have launched numerous operations in solidarity with the affected Gazan population. These operations have included strikes on various targets within the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as actions against Israeli ships or vessels en route to ports in these areas.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have declared their intention to persist in their assaults until Israel ceases its ground and air operations in Gaza, where more than 57,300 Palestinians have perished since the conflict commenced on October 7, 2023.
Yemeni forces have launched a sequence of operations targeting American and British ships. This action comes as a response to lethal strikes carried out by the United States and the United Kingdom against Yemen.
