Bulk Carrier Hit by Missiles in Red Sea

Update: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that they received a report of an incident 33 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Mocha.

“The Master of an MV reports a further missile attack. The vessel has sustained further damage. The crew are safe, and the vessel is proceeding to their next port of call,” the UKMTO advisory note said.

DUBAI, May 28 (Reuters) – A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier off the Yemeni coast took on water after being targeted with three missiles, maritime security and shipping sources said on Tuesday.

The ship issued a distress call, saying it had sustained damage to the cargo hold and was taking on water about 54 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, British security firm Ambrey said.

Greek shipping sources said the vessel, which bears the name Laax, was sailing to a port nearby to assess the extent of the damage. It was headed to the United Arab Emirates.

Its Greece-based operator Grehel Shipmanagement did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said separately on Tuesday that it had received a report of an incident 31 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah.

The ship was hit by missiles and sustained damage, reporting an impact in the water in close proximity to the vessel, UKMTO said, adding that the crew were reported safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea region since November, later expanding to the Indian Ocean, in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Yannis Souliotis in Athens and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.

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