Commercial tanker comes under attack off Yemen

A commercial tanker came under attack off Yemen by three small vessels on Monday but proceeded to its next port of call without reports of damage or crew injuries, two security bodies said.

The attack occurred 70 nautical miles (130 kilometres) southwest of the port city of Hodeidah, which is controlled by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

It was carried out by three small vessels, two of which had three people each on board, while the third was unmanned, according to UKMTO, which is run by Britain's Royal Navy.

The "unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the 2 manned small craft fired at the vessel", UKMTO said.

"After 15 minutes, the small craft aborted the attack. The vessel and crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call."

In a later statement, UKMTO said the same ship reported three missiles exploding in "close proximity," all of which failed to hit the vessel.

British maritime security firm Ambrey also reported the attack, saying the merchant vessel had a private armed security team onboard.

"Merchant shipping is advised... to remain alert to small boat activity," Ambrey warned.

Neither Ambrey nor UKMTO identified the vessel or the perpetrators behind the attack.

But Ambrey said the attack was consistent with previous incidents claimed by the Huthi rebels.

The Huthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

Since January, the US and Britain have also launched repeated retaliatory strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen.

On Sunday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed several Huthi drones.

"These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure," it said in a post on social media platform X.