The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center is reporting an “ongoing” 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.
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. The situation remains ongoing.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident. If confirmed as a Houthi attack, this would mark the first such attack in 2025.
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.