Crew reports explosion close to US-flagged vessel south of Yemen's Mokha - Ambrey

Crew reports explosion close to US-flagged vessel south of Yemen's Mokha - Ambrey

The crew of a U.S.-flagged container ship reported the approach of an unmanned aerial vehicle some 80 km (50 miles) south of Yemen's Mokha and an explosion 100 metres from the vessel's starboard side, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.

Both vessel and crew were reported safe.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov. 19, in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

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The Houthi campaign has been very disruptive to international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa.

U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines have launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen against Houthi forces in retaliation.

The U.S.-flagged vessel was "one of two US container ships headed northbound together with a US Navy accompaniment. Both had last called Salalah, Oman," Ambrey added in an advisory note.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization also said that it had received a report of an incident near Yemen's Mokha.