Bulk Carrier Repels Pirate Attack in Yemen Waters as Red Sea Shipping Return Gains Momentum

A merchant vessel successfully defended against a coordinated pirate attack in the Bab-el-Mandeb off the coast of Yemen early Friday morning, marking the latest security incident as major shipping lines consider cautiously resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received reports that a bulk carrier encountered approximately 15 small craft 15 nautical miles west of Yemen at 03:32 UTC on December 5. According to the incident report, some of the small craft closed to within 1-2 cables of the vessel before the Armed Security Team onboard exchanged fire with the attackers.

MarineTraffic data identified the vessel as the Bobic, which maintained speed while altering course when the first distress call was issued. The ship reported being approached by the small craft, prompting its onboard security team to return fire. A second attack followed shortly afterward, involving two skiffs and a suspected mothership several miles away.

Another vessel, the Globe Aliki, was transiting the area at the time and crossed paths with the Bobic. According to reports, the Globe Aliki observed the small boats from roughly 1 nautical mile away, describing them as fishing-type craft. The vessel itself was not targeted.

AIS data from MarineTraffic.com shows the Bobic’s destination was changed to “Armed Guard Onboard” on December 3, then to “Chinese Crew” on December 5. The vessel continues to its next port with all crew safe after the security team repelled both attacks.

The attack comes as the maritime industry witnesses a gradual return of container services to the Red Sea corridor, with a second Ocean Alliance service resuming Suez Canal transits on its backhaul leg to Asia. Ocean Alliance member OOCL announced that the LL4 service offered by CMA CGM would return to Asia via the Suez Canal and transit the Red Sea, with all future eastbound voyages planned to route through the region.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are also considering a return of Suez Canal transits, but have not yet provided an exact timeline for the resumption. Last month, Maersk provided a statement to gCaptain stating it would “take steps to resume navigation along the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea and over time normalize the transits on this route.” It added “this will proceed as soon as conditions allow, with safety of our crew as the top priority.”

The recovery follows a Houthi announcement of a suspension of maritime operations in the Red Sea earlier in November, though maritime security experts caution that the risk should be treated as suppressed rather than eliminated.

Meanwhile, Suez Canal traffic has show some signs of recovery, with November figures recording 1,156 ships crossing and carrying 48.5 million tons of cargo, yielding $383.4 million in revenue compared to 1,000 ships, 38.3 million tons, and $300.6 million during November 2024.

The master of the attacked vessel confirmed that all crew remain safe, with limited information available due to the timely nature of the report’s production and distribution.

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