A US-owned cargo ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen on Monday, a British security agency and maritime risk company said, a day after Huthi rebels fired a cruise missile at a US destroyer.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations security agency reported a "vessel hit from above by a missile" on its website, without providing further details.

According to Ambrey, a British maritime risk company, a fire broke out on board the Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned bulk carrier, but it remains seaworthy and there were no injuries.

The company "assessed the attack to have targeted US interests in response to US military strikes on Houthi military positions in Yemen", Ambrey said, adding that the vessel was "assessed to not be Israel-affiliated".

There was no immediate comment from the Iran-backed Huthis, whose cruise missile targeting a US military ship was shot down on Sunday. The rebels have been targeting Israel-linked shipping in protest at the Israel-Hamas war.

US and British forces on Friday launched strikes on rebel targets across Yemen, heightening fears that Israel's war with Palestinian Hamas militants could engulf the region.