Attack on ship south of Yemen’s Al Mukha reports UKMTO

TEHRAN, Feb. 12 (MNA) – A merchant vessel was attacked in the Red Sea, 40 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port city of Al-Mukha, the UK navy's maritime coordination center, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), reported.

UKMTO (The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) agency said early on Monday it had received a report of an incident 40 nautical miles (74 km) south of Yemen’s Al Mukha.

The ship reported it had been attacked by two missiles, but the crew were safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, UKMTO added in an updated advisory note.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said that the ship is a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier and was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents within two minutes while transiting through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

The bulker was reportedly hit and sustained physical damage on the starboard side, Ambrey added.

Ambrey had first reported that the carrier had sighted a projectile near the vessel 23 nautical miles northeast of Djibouti’s Khor Angar and 40 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mokha

The ship reported it had been attacked by two missiles, but the crew was safe, and the vessel proceeded to its next port of call. UKMTO added an updated advisory note.

Iran-aligned Houthi in Yemen, who control the country's most densely populated regions, have repeatedly dispatched drones and fired missiles at commercial ships since mid-November.

They say the attacks are a response to Israel's military actions in Gaza. The campaign has rocked global shipping, leading several companies to halt Red Sea journeys and opt for a longer and more expensive route around Africa.