Container ship en route to Jeddah attacked with three missiles near Yemen’s port city Mokha

A Malta-flagged container ship which was en route from Djibouti to the Saudi city of Jeddah was reportedly targeted with three missiles, reported the British maritime security firm Ambrey, on Monday (Apr 29). The incident reportedly took place near Yemen’s port city of Mokha.

What we know about the incident

At around 0702 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), citing military sources reported an incident near the Yemeni port city and that authorities are investigating.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” said the agency in a statement.

In an update, the UKMTO said that it was informed by a Company Security Officer that an explosion had occurred in close proximity to a merchant vessel in the area.

The vessel and the crew are reported safe and the authorities are still investigating the incident, said the British agency.

Meanwhile, Ambrey said that the vessel was targeted due to its listed operator’s ongoing trade with Israel.

Both Ambrey and UKMTO reported that the incident took place around 54 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Mokha.

Houthi militants involved?

The Yemen-based Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked international commercial shipping in the Red Sea region with drones and missiles, saying that they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

The Houthi rebels, who have been targeting Red Sea shipping since mid-November have not claimed responsibility for the reported attack, on Monday.

The incident also comes days after UKMTO reported damage to an India-bound vessel after Ambrey said three missiles were sighted approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Mokha.

“The Master has reported two attacks. The first attack, the vessel experienced an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, which was felt by the crew on board,” the UKMTO said in a statement, on Friday (Apr 26).

It added, “Subsequently, the second attack on the vessel, consisted of what is believed to be two missiles, which resulted in damage to the vessel.”

The vessel in question was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India. “At the time of writing, the vessel's owner was Seychelles-registered and was engaged in Russia-linked trade,” said Ambrey.

(With inputs from agencies)