The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations authority reported on Saturday that the captain of a ship, which experienced an incident 70 nautical miles east of the Djibouti port, reported an explosion nearby.
The statement, shared on the “X” platform, added that there were no reports of damage to the ship or injuries to its crew members, and that the ship is headed to its next station, according to the “Arab World News” agency.
Several ships in the Red and Arabian Seas and their vicinities have been attacked by the Yemeni Houthi group, which claims the attacks are in response to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The announcement of the latest incident came after American and British forces conducted strikes on 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, as stated in a joint statement following weeks of attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.
The joint statement noted that the “necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets in 8 locations in Yemen associated with underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way offensive drone systems, air defense systems, radars, and helicopters.”
Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, which provided unspecified “support” for the new series of strikes, also signed the statement. This is the second series of strikes this month and the fourth since the Houthis began their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The statement further mentioned that “over 45 Houthi attacks on commercial and military ships since mid-November pose a threat to the global economy as well as regional security and stability, requiring an international response.”
The Houthi rebels in Yemen have escalated their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November 2023, posing a significant threat to global shipping and potentially impacting the global economy. These attacks have led to an exodus of shipping companies from the region, which could disrupt supply chains and inflate consumer prices. The United States has responded by launching an international security initiative to protect commercial vessels and has conducted strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen. The Houthis claim their attacks are aimed at vessels with Israeli interests, in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, it appears that their targets have been indiscriminate, affecting a broad range of commercial shipping operations.
The Houthi military capabilities include a range of Iranian-made weapons such as ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a variety of drones capable of sustaining near-daily attack rates in the Red Sea. This arsenal allows the Houthis to pose a continuous threat to maritime trade, leveraging relatively inexpensive weaponry to cause costly disruptions. Despite the international response, including airstrikes against Houthi targets, the threat to shipping remains significant, with naval forces facing challenges in providing comprehensive protection to commercial vessels in the region.
The situation is part of a broader context of regional conflict and instability, with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza further complicating the security landscape. The United Nations has called for a halt to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, highlighting the broader humanitarian and security challenges in the region.