Ship hit by 3 projectiles near Yemen, says UK agency

Three projectiles hit a ship off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The UKMTO said the ship was no longer under command, indicating that it had lost all power and was likely immobile in the waters.

The ship initially reported being pursued by two small boats that had around 13-15 men onboard, which led to an exchange of fire, said the UKTMTO, adding that the ship reported being hit by the projectiles.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the UKMTO said no casualties have been reported in the attack.

“The master of a merchant vessel reported at 02:57 UTC (8:27 am India time) that the vessel was approached by two small craft. The first craft had 3-5 persons onboard, while the second had approximately 10. The two small craft hailed the merchant vessel, leading to a brief exchange of small arms fire… Subsequently at 05:00 UTC (10:30 am India time), the master reported that the merchant vessel had been struck by two unidentified projectiles before being hit by a third projectile,” said the UKMTO.

20240821 INCIDENT 110 WARNING - ATTACK - UPDATE 001https://t.co/fX3hWupi7g

UKMTO has received a report of an incident 77NM west of Al Hudayah, Yemen.#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/nGA12WSafR

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) August 21, 2024

The incident has been reported off the coast of Yemen, which has been terrorised by the Houthis for months. The Iran-backed and Yemen-based Houthi terrorists have attacked and hijacked ships in the region for months, affecting the global trade and maritime operations. They have also engaged the US and British militaries deployed in the region.

The identity of the ship of the country of ownership is not yet known.

This is a developing story and will be updated as details emerge.