Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed to have hit and damaged a Singapore-flagged container ship with two missiles, as they escalate attacks on global shipping.
The Lobivia cargo ship was in the Gulf of Aden when the missiles struck two areas on its port side, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) reported in a statement.
"The ship was transiting north-east along the Gulf of Aden when a merchant vessel in the vicinity observed 'light and blast' where the ship was located," British security firm Ambrey said.
In June, the rebels struck the Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat, causing it to sink.
Tutor was the second ship sunk in the Houthi campaign against commercial shipping, which since November has killed at least three sailors and up-ended global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the Suez Canal trade shortcut.
"The Houthi rebels capacity, their access to more sophisticated weapons, has only increased over the course of this conflict," said Gerald Feierstein, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen and currently director of the Arabian Peninsula Affairs Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington.