CAIRO, Egypt: A Marshall Islands-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker was sailing in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah when it reported two explosions near the ship, the third attack on a commercial vessel in the past 48 hours, the British security firm announced this on Friday.
Ambrey said the crew of the ship involved in the Red Sea incident belonged to the United States until recently.
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO), the captain of a merchant ship in the same area reported an explosion on the ship’s starboard beam. There was no confirmation whether the two reports were about the same ship.
Iran-affiliated Houthi militias in Yemen have declared solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel’s war in Gaza, and since mid-November have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at international merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis’ attacks have disrupted world transport and forced businesses to take longer and more expensive routes across southern Africa. No damage to the vessel or crew injuries were reported.
The US and UK responded to the attacks on the ships with strikes against Houthi targets.
The U.S. military said late Thursday that the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two from the north into the Red Sea, but there were no casualties or damage to U.S. or coalition ships.
The US Central Command announced on Friday morning that it destroyed 9 anti-ship missiles and two drones in the areas controlled by the Yemeni Houthis.
