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A vessel is on fire having been struck off the coast of Yemen after Houthi threats in the key shipping route continued despite UK and US strikes.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident 60 nautical miles south east of Aden on Friday.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed their naval forces carried out an operation targeting a vessel, earlier reported to be British, in the Gulf of Aden causing a fire to break out. They used “a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct,” the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.
Ambrey also said that it was aware of an incident 55 miles southeast of Aden where a fire broke out after a merchant vessel was hit by a “missile”, though the crew were reported safe.
Bloomberg News reported the vessel on fire is a Trafigura oil tanker.
It comes after an earlier incident in which two missiles were reported to have exploded in the water and “vessel and crew are safe and no damage reported”.
UKMTO said authorities have been informed and are responding to the latest strike, warning other vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.
The shipping security monitor, which acts as a link between the Royal Navy and commercial shipping, said in a statement: ”UKMTO has received a report of an incident 60NM South East of Aden, Yemen. CSO reports that a vessel has been struck and is currently on fire. They are requiring assistance. Authorities have been informed and are responding. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, endangering shipping on a key route for global trade.
Alongside numerous air strikes on key Houthi targets, the UK and US are also targeting key figures in the Iran-backed militant group with sanctions.
A second series of UK and US air strikes, carried out at the start of the week, appears to have done little to deter Houthi action.
Earlier on Friday, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said: “We continue to call on [the Houthis] to step back from such action. We’re clear that this is illegal and unacceptable.”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is currently finishing a trip to the Middle East, in a diplomatic bid to reduce tensions as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues.
The Independent has approached the UK Foreign Office and Trafigura for comment.
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