Dubai: A ship caught fire on Saturday in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, after being hit by an unknown projectile, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported. The vessel, identified as a Cameroon-flagged tanker en route from Sohar, Oman, to Djibouti, was struck approximately 210 kilometres (130 miles) east of Aden. Radio communication indicated that the crew was preparing to abandon the ship, and a search-and-rescue operation was underway.

This incident occurred amid ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping vessels in the Red Sea corridor. Although the Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility, such claims can take hours or days to surface. The Houthis have intensified their campaign during the Israel-Hamas conflict, targeting maritime traffic to exert pressure on Israel. Their attacks have disrupted shipping routes critical for global trade, with at least nine mariners killed and four ships sunk in recent years.

The UKMTO confirmed that authorities are investigating the fire caused by the projectile strike. Meanwhile, the Houthis have also been escalating threats against Saudi Arabia and taking personnel from United Nations agencies and aid groups as prisoners on unsubstantiated espionage allegations, which have been strongly denied by the international community.

This attack adds to the heightened maritime security concerns in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, pressing global powers to monitor and respond to ongoing maritime threats in the region.

With inputs from AP