Incident Alert – Vessel Attacked Near the Bab el Mandeb Strait – Southern Red Sea |
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Date: 14 December 2023 1300 UTC |
Position: 13°41’06″ N 42°33’06” E |
Location: 50 NM West of Hodeidah, Yemen |
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Incident Details
The UKMTO has released Warning 007/DEC/2023 and Update 001 following the report of an incident affecting a vessel north of the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The update confirmed that an explosion was sighted 50m off the port quarter.
Comment
On 09 December, the Houthi authorities declared their intention to target any ship they suspected of conducting trade with Israel, regardless of its flag, ownership, or country of origin. This incident is highly likely to be linked to the recent series of attacks against commercial vessels claimed by the Houthi authorities in Yemen. Unconfirmed reports have named the vessel involved in this incident as the container ship MAERSK GIBRALTAR. It is not clear if the vessel has any links to Israel at this time.
Analysis
It is most likely, that the explosion close to this vessel was caused by a missile or Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS Drone) originating in Southern Yemen and consistent with recent attacks in the area. All vessels transiting the area are advised to stay vigilant and take mitigation measures to protect the ship and crew.
