Red Sea tensions: UK security firm says vessel targeted near Yemen’s Hodeidah

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British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Saturday it had received information that a vessel had been targeted around 61 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah in Yemen.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report of an incident at almost the same point where the captain of a vessel reported two missiles in the vicinity of the ship that did not cause damage.

It was unclear whether Ambrey and UKMTO were reporting the same incident as they did not name any vessels in their updates.

UKMTO ADVISORY INCIDENT 061

ATTACKhttps://t.co/K4BU9BXk05#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/AkiSFHlFm2

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) April 6, 2024

Yemen’s Houthis have staged attacks on shipping in the Red Sea region for months in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

One of the missile’s mentioned in UKMTO’s advisory note was intercepted by coalition forces defending commercial shipping in the region, it said. The second hit the water a distance from the vessel, it added.

There was no damage to the vessel and the crew were reported safe, UKMTO said.

US-EU coalition in Red Sea

This was confirmed by European Union’s naval mission in the southern Red Sea which said on Saturday it had intercepted a Houthi missile to protect merchant ships.

The EU’s mission, known as Aspides, said in a press release that the German frigate “Hessen” had intercepted a missile attack from Houthi controlled territories.

“The action performed by Hessen was effective, avoiding any damage to seafarers and merchant shipping”, it added.

Aspides was launched in February to help protect the key maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, who say they are retaliating against Israel’s war on Gaza.

Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

The US and UK have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Read: Risk is the new normal in ocean shipping as Red Sea tensions reign: Experts