Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Two merchant vessels were struck in attacks on Monday off the coast of Yemen’s rebel-held Hodeida province, maritime security agencies said, reporting that both crews were safe in the aftermath.
One attack was claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have targeted ships they say are linked to Israel, a campaign they began in November in stated solidarity with Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza war.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said the first vessel, identified as Panama-flagged tanker Blue Lagoon I, was hit by two ballistic missiles, with a third hitting the water 50 metres (yards) from the ship.
The Houthis said in a statement they had targeted the Blue Lagoon with “missiles and drones, and it was directly hit”.
The JMIC, run by a 45-member international naval coalition, said the tanker “was subject to three ballistic missile attacks. All crew on board are safe (no injury reported)”.
“The vessel sustained minimal damage but does not require assistance. The vessel is continuing on to its next port of call,” it added.
The maritime security firm Ambrey said the tanker had been targeted because of a “company affiliation with a vessel calling Israeli ports”.
The attack occurred 70 nautical miles northwest of the port of Al-Salif in Hodeida, reported the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, run by Britain’s Royal Navy.
In a separate incident later on Monday the UKMTO said another commercial vessel had been hit by a drone 58 nautical miles west of Hodeida, also without any casualties.
Ambrey said the vessel did not meet the “targeting profile” of the Houthis, who have vowed to target ships they believe are connected to firms supplying Israel.
Houthi attacks have disrupted maritime traffic through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, areas that are vital to global trade.
The United States and Britain have struck Houthi targets in Yemen since January, but it has done little to deter the rebels.