Fire Reported After Vessel Comes Under Attack in Red Sea
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center is reporting a maritime security incident in the Red Sea off Yemen, where a vessel came under attack approximately 51 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, causing a fire onboard.
The incident, now confirmed as a Houthi attack, marks the first attack on commercial shipping by the Iranian-backed group since December 2024.
According to the UKMTO report, “The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. Armed Security Team have returned fire and situation is ongoing.”
An update said the Company Security Officer confirmed that the vessel has been struck by unknown projectiles, resulting in a fire onboard.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident.
The vessel is reported to be Liberian-flagged.
According to Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group, the incident is a major escalation linked to the Houthis. The assault reportedly involved 8–9 skiffs firing automatic weapons and RPGs and 4 explosive unmanned surface vessels (USVs), two of which struck the ship.
This marks the first confirmed Houthi maritime attack since December 2024, signaling a notable shift in intent—both in timing and scale.
The use of multiple weapon types suggests a deliberate attempt to sink the vessel, escalating the threat to commercial shipping in the region, Kelly stated.
The incident comes just days after UKMTO issued a warning on July 4th reminding vessels that “there remains a high threat of collateral damage to vessels visiting Houthi controlled ports [of Ras Isa, Saleef, and Hodeidah] in the event of any further strikes against targets in these port areas.”
Although no attacks on merchant vessels have occurred for over 7 months, authorities believe the Houthis still maintain the capability to target vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden that meet their criteria: Israeli-affiliated vessels and those connected with the Israeli port of Haifa. This relative calm followed a January 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire, during which the Houthis announced they would only restrict vessels wholly owned by Israelis or sailing under the Israeli flag.
The Houthis announced a ‘blockade’ against the Haifa on May 19 following a US-Houthi agreement brokered by Oman two weeks earlier.
Maritime security firm had previously recommended that vessels with Israeli affiliations avoid the southern Red Sea, Bab al Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden entirely, while advising ships with US, UK, or allied affiliations to exercise extreme caution and limit their risk exposure in the region.
The UKMTO continues to advise vessels transiting the area “to exercise extreme caution in the vicinity of ports that have been subjected to previous strikes, and should consider carefully whether the risk of ongoing navigation/operations in those areas remains judicious.”
Vessels in the region are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.
