Houthis Attack US, UK Merchant Ships in Red Sea damaging both

Houthi attacked US and UK merchant ships in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Tuesday.

"The Naval Forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces and with the help of God, have carried out two military operations in the red sea, the first targeted the American ship 'Star Nasia,' while the other one targeted the British ship 'Morning Tide,' with suitable naval missiles, and strikes were direct and accurate," Saree said in a statement on Telegram.

The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November, in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.

The Greek-owned Star Nasia, managed by Star Bulk Carrier, was damaged by an explosion at 1115 GMT, a Greek shipping ministry official said, adding that its crew were not injured.

It is unclear whether the explosion was caused by a sea mine or a rocket, the official added.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British maritime security firm Ambrey reported an explosion near a merchant vessel off Yemen's port of Aden on Tuesday.

Ambrey said the southbound Greek-owned bulk carrier had been targeted while heading through the Maritime Security Transit Corridor about 53 nautical miles southwest of Aden, en route from the U.S. to India.

Maritime monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said the vessel was carrying U.S. coal to India.

MORNING TIDE

Ambrey said the second vessel, a Barbados-flagged general cargo ship owned by a British company, had suffered damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while sailing south through the Red Sea.

No injuries were reported. The ship performed evasive manoeuvres and continued its journey, Ambrey said.

The owner of the Morning Tide, British firm Furadino Shipping, told Reuters the ship was currently sailing without problems, but gave no further information.

LSEG ship-tracking data showed the Morning Tide was heading south through the Red Sea after navigating the Suez Canal on Friday. Its most recent signal shows it sailing out of the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency had reported just after midnight GMT on Tuesday that a projectile had been fired at the port side of a ship located 57 nautical miles west of Hodeidah and that a small craft was seen nearby.

The projectile passed over the deck and caused slight damage to the bridge windows, but the vessel and crew were safe and proceeded on the planned passage, UKMTO added.

The Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping and forced firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

The United States and Britain began striking Houthi targets in Yemen last month in retaliation for the attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Houthis Attack US, UK Merchant Ships in Red Sea damaging both