Gunboats target cargo vessel in Red Sea; crew abandons ship

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reports the vas is taking connected h2o aft being targeted with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.

A commercialized vas successful the Red Sea has travel nether onslaught aft tiny boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons towards the ship.

According to the organisation United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the incidental took spot 94km (51 nautical miles) southwest of the Yemeni larboard of Hodeidah.

“The vas has been engaged by aggregate tiny vessels who person opened occurrence with tiny arms and self-propelled grenades. [The] equipped information squad person returned occurrence and concern is ongoing,” said UKMTO, which is tally by Britain’s Royal Navy.

The UKMTO said the onslaught resulted successful a occurrence onboard and the vas began taking connected h2o Sunday nighttime arsenic its unit prepared to wantonness ship.

“Authorities are investigating,” it said, adding aboriginal the vessel was ablaze aft being “struck by chartless projectiles”.

“UKMTO has had confirmation from the Company Security Officer that the vas is taking connected h2o and unit are preparing to wantonness ship,” a connection said.

Maritime information sources added that the vas was identified arsenic the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk bearer Magic Seas.

British maritime information steadfast Ambrey said successful an advisory that the vessel was attacked by 4 unmanned aboveground vehicles [USVs].

“Two of the USVs impacted the larboard broadside of the vessel, damaging the vessel’s cargo,” Ambrey added.

While nary 1 has claimed responsibility, Ambrey said the onslaught matched the “established Houthi people profile”.

The Yemen-based equipped radical the Houthis began targeting vessels successful the Red Sea soon aft Israel’s warfare connected Gaza began successful October 2023, which the Houthis accidental is successful defence of the Palestinians surviving successful the besieged enclave.

Since November 2023, the Houthis person launched much than 100 attacks targeting commercialized vessels, disrupting planetary shipping and forcing firms to reroute.

Their run has expanded to see vessels linked to the United States and the United Kingdom since the 2 countries initiated subject strikes successful January 2024.

In May, the Houthis and the US agreed connected a ceasefire that would spot the extremity of attacks connected US ships. But the Houthis vowed to proceed to people Israeli-linked vessels.

A renewed Houthi run against shipping could again gully successful US and Western forces to the area.

This comes astatine a delicate infinitesimal successful the Middle East arsenic a imaginable ceasefire successful the warfare connected Gaza hangs successful the balance, and arsenic Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations implicit its atomic programme pursuing US aerial strikes targeting its astir delicate atomic sites.