“A nearby vessel reported an explosion near the Barbadian-flagged, US publicly owned bulker,” Ambrey said, warning other vessels not to approach the vessel, which the company said matched the profile of targets by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels.
In November, the Houthis launched attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in what they said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
They have vowed to attack Israeli, British, American and other ships sailing to ports in the Jewish state, disrupting traffic on the vital trade route off the coast of Yemen.
Ambrey, a British maritime security company, said before the latest Houthi attack that the bulker “greeted an entity claiming to be the Yemeni Navy”, as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels call themselves.
The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations Agency (UKMTO) also reported an attack southwest of Aden, but did not provide further details.
About 12 percent go via the Red Sea route. global trade, but the increased attacks have led many shipping companies to divert ships around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, despite the fact that it makes journeys longer and more expensive.
On Friday, US Defense Department spokesman Pete Nguyen said at least 15 commercial ships, including four US ships, had been hit since November.
After the attacks in the Red Sea, the United States and the United Kingdom repeatedly struck targets in Yemen itself.
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2024-04-17 14:45:17