A cargo ship was attacked off Yemen's coast as tensions escalate between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government, raising maritime security concerns.
On Sunday morning, a cargo ship reported that it had come under armed attack off the coast of Yemen. The incident occurred during a period of renewed tensions between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received the report of the attack at 07:20 UTC on Sunday. According to the report, the captain of a cargo ship sailing approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, the largest port city controlled by the Houthis on Yemen's Red Sea coast, made an emergency call. The captain reported that the vessel was attacked by armed individuals whose identities have not yet been determined.
Since the region has been under tight control of the Houthis for many years, piracy activities conducted for profit have rarely been seen here. The Houthis, who were previously the main perpetrators of attacks on commercial vessels in the area, had ceased their attacks on international trade ships last year. Recently, the group has reiterated its threats to target only vessels linked to Israel. The Houthis justify this stance by citing Israel's operations in southern Lebanon, where their ally Hezbollah is influential. The nationality or ownership of the ship attacked on Sunday has not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, there have been a series of security incidents in recent weeks off Balhaf, located on the coast of Yemen's Gulf of Aden. This area, situated east of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is outside Houthi control.
On July 1, the crew of a commercial vessel reported that armed individuals illegally boarded their ship after a small boat approached. While the crew took refuge in a safe area, it was reported that the assailants damaged equipment in the bridge and surrounding compartments.
Later that same day, a tanker captain reported that a boat with four individuals suspiciously approached his vessel approximately 85 nautical miles south of Balhaf.
Similar incidents have been recorded in the area before. On June 21, an attempt was made to board a product tanker by a group of five individuals in a small boat. On June 17, two small boats with armed individuals attacked a commercial vessel. The private security team on board responded with light weapons, driving the assailants away.
On June 15, assailants in a small boat approaching another commercial vessel fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the ship. A similar attack attempt occurred on June 9 as well.
These recent incidents indicate that the maritime security risks around the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are once again on the rise.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
