According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), there are reports of an incident in the Red Sea near Yemen involving missiles and an explosion.
The incident took place 60 nautical miles from the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
Crew members of a second ship reported to UKMTO that they heard an explosion and saw missiles about four nautical miles away.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.
The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.
The Houthis vowed in early December to target any ship sailing to or from Israel in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership.
The terror group has attacked or harassed a number of ships and hijacked the Galaxy Leader in November. The cargo ship and its crew of 25 are still being held hostage in Hodeidah.
