An oil products tanker has been attacked by two small boats carrying suspected Houthi rebels in the Red Sea off Yemen, the British military says
No casualties were reported among the 25 crew members aboard the Sounion, but the Greek-flagged vessel was left “not under command” and had lost the ability to manoeuvre, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The vessel on Wednesday reported being approached by two small craft with about 15 people onboard and said there was a brief exchange of small arms fire, UKMTO said.
The exchange took place 140km west of Yemen’s port of Hodeidah, it said.
British security firm Ambrey separately reported an incident in the same area but did not provide further details.
Delta Tankers, company operating the tanker, was not immediately available for comment.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The attacks have drawn US and British retaliatory strikes on Houthi territories and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.