CAIRO – British maritime security firm Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on March 15 reported an incident near Yemen’s Hodeidah, where the Iran-aligned Houthis continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

UKMTO said it had received a report of an incident 65 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, where the master of a merchant vessel reported an explosion a distance off the vessel’s starboard beam.

“There is no damage to the vessel and the crew are reported safe. The vessel is continuing to its next port of call,” UKMTO added in an advisory note.

Ambrey reported that a vessel was targeted approximately 80 nautical miles north-west of Hodeidah, yet the crew was safe.

It was unclear if Ambrey and UKMTO were reporting the same incident.

Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping. REUTERS