Royal Navy Says Merchant Vessel Was Hit By Drone Near Yemen, Another Flooded

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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported two incidents involving merchant vessels near Yemen on June 23 with one of them confirmed to be the result of an attack.

In the first incident, a drone attack caused damage to a merchant vessel 65 nautical miles west of Yemen’s western port of al-Hodeidah, which is held by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), according to UKMTO.

“All crew members are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” UKMTO said in an advisory note.

In a separate note, British security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a “Liberia-flagged fully cellular container ship”, without providing its name. It said no injuries were reported.

Separately, UKMTO reported that the captain and crew of another merchant vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s southeastern coastal town Nishtun were forced to abandon ship after it suffered flooding that could not be contained. The crew of the vessel has been recovered by an assisting ship while the abandoned ship remains adrift, the organization added.

UKMTO earlier reported that it had received a report of a distress call from the vessel and that it was investigating the incident.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have not yet acknowledged the attack near al-Hodeidah that was reported by UKMTO and Ambrey or commented on the incident near Nishtun.

Since last November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the United States and the UK in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Israeli war and siege on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip. .

In addition, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.

The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January in an attempt to deter the group. However, to no avail.

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