CAIRO/WASHIN­GTON: A vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile and caught fire, 23 nautical miles west of Yemen’s Mukha, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Saturday, reporting the latest such attack in the Red Sea.

“The resulting fire was successfully extinguished by the crew. Vessel and crew reported safe. Vessel continuing to next port of call,” UKMTO added in an advisory note.

It did not give further information about the vessel’s name or origin.

Months of Red Sea attacks by Yemen’s Houthis following the Israeli aggression in Gaza have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

US military claims hitting three Houthi underground storage sites

The Houthis say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and they will not stop until Israel ends the aggression and withdraws from the enclave.

The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and redesignated the militia as a terrorist group.

US strikes

The US military said it had struck three underground storage facilities used by Yemen’s Houthis, as the Iran-backed rebels continue to launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

US forces “conducted self-defence strikes against three Houthi underground storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

It said US forces had also “successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles” in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen throughout Friday, while also registering four anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards the Red Sea. “There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships,” CENTCOM said.

The Houthis began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

They have vowed to target Israeli, British and American ships, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through the vital trade route off Yemen’s coasts.

The attacks have sent insurance costs spiraling for vessels transiting the Red Sea and prompted many shipping firms to take the far longer passage around the southern tip of Africa instead.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2024