Merchant Vessel Repels Armed Attack Off Yemen Coast as Red Sea Transit Risks Persist

A merchant vessel successfully defended against an armed assault by multiple small craft approximately 15 nautical miles west of Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, marking the latest security incident in waters where major shipping lines are cautiously considering resumed transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The UKMTO reported that a vessel encountered approximately 15 small craft that closed to within 1-2 cables before an exchange of fire occurred.”The Master confirms the vessel remains on high alert and all crew are reported as safe,” UKMTO stated in its incident report. The small craft subsequently departed the scene with no casualties reported, and the vessel continued toward its next port of call.

UKMTO later confirmed the incident as suspicious activity and advised vessels to “transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

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The attack follows a similar incident earlier this month when a bulk carrier encountered a coordinated assault in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait off Yemen’s coast on December 5. That vessel, identified by MarineTraffic data as the Bobic, faced two separate attacks involving small craft and a suspected mothership. The ship’s Armed Security Team successfully repelled both attacks through exchanging fire with the approaching craft.

Another vessel transiting nearby, the Globe Aliki, observed the small boats from approximately 1 nautical mile away but was not itself targeted.

The recent attacks come amid tentative signs of recovery for the Red Sea shipping corridor. The cautious return follows a Houthi announcement suspending maritime operations in the Red Sea in November, though maritime security experts warn the risk should be considered suppressed rather than eliminated.

Suez Canal traffic has shown modest improvement, with November figures recording 1,156 ships crossing and carrying 48.5 million tons of cargo, yielding $383.4 million in revenue—an increase from 1,000 ships, 38.3 million tons, and $300.6 million during November 2024.

The master of the most recently attacked vessel confirmed all crew remain safe, with limited additional details available due to the timely nature of the incident report.

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