A vessel sustained damage today (Thursday) after being hit by a projectile off the coast of Hodeidah, a Yemeni port city under the control of Houthi rebels.
The British maritime trade operations authority (UKMTO), which is run by the Royal Navy, reported the incident, stating that the ship’s captain had notified them about the impact of an unidentified projectile 70 nautical miles off the coast of Hodeidah in western Yemen.
The UKMTO clarified that no fires or injuries were reported, and the ship’s crew remained unharmed. The vessel is now en route to its next port.
Later, the ship’s captain reported two additional explosions near the vessel, reaffirming that the crew remained safe.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, it occurs amid a series of assaults carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, stating that their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amidst Israel’s ongoing military operations against Hamas, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
Since the Houthis started their campaign against shipping vessels, over 100 attacks have taken place, resulting in the deaths of four sailors, the sinking of two ships, and the ongoing capture of another vessel along with its crew.
These frequent attacks have led some shipping companies to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a crucial maritime passageway that handles 12% of global trade. In response, the US leads an international naval coalition aimed at safeguarding maritime traffic in this strategic region.
