An UKMTO advisory note said a merchant vessel had reported being approached by 12 small craft which remained in the vicinity of the vessel for about an hour before leaving the area.
The vessel and crew were reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the advisory note added.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has been launching drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes since November, saying that it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza.
In dozens of attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that the captain and crew of a vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's Nishtun were forced to abandon ship after it suffered flooding that could not be contained.
The crew has been recovered by an assisting ship while the abandoned ship remains adrift, it added.
Also on Sunday, UKMTO earlier reported that a merchant ship was damaged by a drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen, though no injuries were reported.
The attack occurred about 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers) west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, said UKMTO, which is run by the British navy.
“The Master of a merchant vessel reports being hit by uncrewed aerial system (UAS), resulting in damage to the vessel. All crew members are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” said a bulletin from the agency.
“Authorities are investigating,” it added, offering no attribution for the attack.
Vessels in and around the Red Sea have come under repeated attack for months by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, the US Central Command, which has carried out retaliatory strikes against the Houthis over their attacks on shipping, said it had destroyed three nautical drones belonging to the group over the past 24 hours.
It also said the group had launched three anti-ship missiles into the Gulf of Aden, but no injuries or significant damage were reported.
Urgent action must be taken in the Red Sea to stop attacks on merchant shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, leading industry groups said on Wednesday, after the sinking of a second ship.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants first launched drone and missile strikes on the important trade route in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In more than 70 attacks, they have also seized one vessel and its crew and killed at least three seafarers.
“It is deplorable that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply performing their jobs, vital jobs which keep the world warm, fed, and clothed,” the world’s top shipping associations said in a joint statement.
“These attacks must stop now. We call for states with influence in the region to safeguard our innocent seafarers and for the swift de-escalation of the situation in the Red Sea.”
The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier attacked by Yemen’s Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed on Wednesday.
The vessel was struck with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat, according to sources.
International naval forces have been deployed to provide mainly defensive support for ships still sailing through the Red Sea, but the attacks have increased significantly.
Insurance industry sources said on Wednesday there was also mounting concern over the use of attack drone boats by the Houthis.
“They are harder to defend against and potentially more lethal as they strike the waterline,” one industry source said.
“Missiles have — to date — mainly caused deck and superstructure damage (to ships).”
There have been 10 Houthi strikes so far in June compared with five in May, said Munro Anderson, head of operations at marine war risk and insurance specialist Vessel Protect, part of Pen Underwriting. “The first successful use of an unmanned surface vessel represents a new challenge for commercial shipping within an already complex environment,” he added.
Insurance industry sources said that additional war risk premiums, paid when vessels sail through the Red Sea, had hovered close to 0.7 percent of the value of a ship in recent days from around 1 percent earlier this year.
They added that with a second ship sinking and the losses likely to emerge from that, rates are likely to firm up, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars of extra costs to every voyage.
Ships must divert around southern Africa, which is the best way to protect seafarers, said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary with the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the leading seafarer’s union.
“We would also welcome proper escorts and the shielding of ships by naval forces, which would reduce the risks of ships being hit,” he added.
