A merchant vessel successfully defended against an armed assault by multiple small craft approximately 15 nautical miles west of Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO), which described it as “the latest security incident” in waters where major shipping lines are cautiously considering resumed transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
UKMTO reported that a vessel encountered the small craft that closed to within 1-2 cables before an exchange of fire occurred.
The Master of the vessel confirms that it “remains on high alert and all crew are reported as safe,” UKMTO stated in its incident report.
The small craft subsequently departed the scene with no casualties reported, and the vessel continued toward its next port of call.
UKMTO later confirmed the incident as suspicious activity and advised vessels to “transit with caution and report any suspicious activity”.