Ship reports small arms fire off Eritrea, says Ambrey
By Reuters
August 15, 2024Members of the Yemeni Coast Guard affiliated with the Houthi group patrol the sea as demonstrators march through the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in solidarity with the people of Gaza on January 4, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. [AFP via Getty Images]
A merchant vessel reported being approached with the use of small arms fire in waters 92 nautical miles north-east of Eritrea’s Massawa port in Red Sea waters adjacent to Yemen’s coast, British maritime security firm, Ambrey, said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said shortly after that it received a sighting report of a small boat with armed persons onboard, operating in close proximity to a small coastal freighter, approximately 95 nautical miles north-east of Massawa.
Authorities are investigating, UKMTO’s advisory note added. No group has yet claimed the attack.
The Houthi fighters have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships they perceive as bound to or related to Israel or the United States, in the crucial shipping channels of the Red Sea, the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November to show their support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
This has forced shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and has stoked fears that the Israel-Palestine war could spread and destabilise the Middle East.
![Members of the Yemeni Coast Guard affiliated with the Houthi group patrol the sea as demonstrators march through the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in solidarity with the people of Gaza on January 4, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. [AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1900662722.jpg?fit=1199%2C800&ssl=1)
