Vessel hit by ‘unknown projectile’ off Yemen, catches fire: UK maritime agency

Vessel hit by ‘unknown projectile’ off Yemen, catches fire: UK maritime agency

Authorities investigating incident, while UK Maritime Trade Operations advises vessels to transit with caution, report any suspicious activity

A vessel was hit by an “unknown projectile” east of Yemen’s port city of Aden, causing a fire, the UK’s maritime agency reported on Saturday.

In a statement, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said that it received a report of an incident 116 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen.

“Yemen. A vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting with a fire. Authorities are investigating,” said the statement.

It added that vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency.

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

Yemen’s Houthi group has been targeting Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 68,000 people have been killed in a brutal Israeli assault since October 2023.