The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported Sunday that it received a distress alert from a cargo vessel stating it was under attack by unidentified armed assailants roughly 30 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, in the Red Sea. The report came in at approximately 0719 UTC.
According to UKMTO, authorities are currently investigating the incident, and vessels transiting the area have been advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency. No further details have yet been made public regarding the nature of the attack, whether by small boats, gunfire, or an attempted boarding, nor on the vessel's identity, flag, or the condition of its crew. No group has claimed responsibility as of this writing.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of a long pattern of attacks on commercial shipping off Yemen's coast tied to the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which has targeted vessels it associates with Israel or the port of Haifa throughout the war. UKMTO had issued a warning just a day earlier reminding vessels of the elevated risk of collateral damage near the Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa, Saleef and Hodeidah in the event of further strikes on targets in those port areas.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
