Merchant Vessel Approached by a Dozen Small Craft in Red Sea: UKMTO

A merchant vessel was approached by a dozen small craft in the southern Red Sea approximately 13 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukha, Yemen, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reports.

The incident took place Sunday when a combination of fast boats and kayak-type boats, some without crew, came within 1.5 nautical miles of the merchant vessel. The small boats lingered around the merchant vessel for nearly an hour before retreating, the UKMTO report said.

The vessel and its crew are safe and have since continued their journey to their next port of call.

The incident comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis have unveiled new Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV). Known as “Flood the Destroyer”, the USV is a guided attack boat made in Yemen, with a larger warhead that is approximately 30 times the size its predecessor, according to Martin Kelly, head of advisory at EOS Risk Group.

“This is the second ‘new’ USV introduced by the Houthis within a week following the unveiling of ‘Tufan 1’,” Martin wrote on X.

Martin believes the Houthis are likely to increase their use of USVs following recent successful attacks, including the sinking of the M/V Tutor in June.

“Houthi attacks are becoming more lethal, and more difficult to defend against,” he says.

The U.S. Central Command on Sunday reported that forces destroyed three Houthi USVs in the Red Sea within 24 hours.

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