Two ships report blasts in the Red Sea off Yemen : UKMTO

YEMEN : Two crude oil tanker ships reported coming under attack in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, although neither reported damage, maritime security agencies said.

The attempted assaults on those vessels, identified as the Liberia-flagged Delta Atlantica and the Panama-flagged On Phoenix, bear hallmarks of Iran-aligned Houthi militant attacks on international cargo shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

One ship’s captain said his vessel was targeted by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), which was successfully disabled about 63 nautical miles (116 km) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.

The vessel also reported two explosions in its close proximity, UKMTO and British maritime security firm Ambrey said.

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) later identified the ship as Delta Atlantica, a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker, saying that there were various attempted attacks on the vessel.

Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched strikes on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The UKMTO also said a separate ship, located 97 nautical miles (179 km) northwest of Hodeidah, reported an explosion in its vicinity.

JMIC said that the second ship to come under attack was Panama-flagged crude oil tanker, On Phoenix, adding that it was not hit.

The vessels and crew in both incidents are safe and proceeding to their next port of call.

The Houthi attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.