Cargo ship ‘under continuous attack’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — A cargo ship has been under attack in the volatile Red Sea since Monday after losing power and suffering major damage, a maritime monitor said on Tuesday.

“The vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. The vessel is surrounded by small craft and is under continuous attack,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement.

Two crew members were injured and two others were missing after the commercial ship was attacked Monday off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeida, monitors reported, the second vessel attacked in the Red Sea in about 24 hours.Yemen’s Houthi rebels earlier claimed responsibility for an attack on Sunday, in which gunmen on skiffs opened fire on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea.

That incident marked the first Houthi attack on commercial shipping along the vital maritime route in months. In May, the rebels agreed to a ceasefire with Washington, ending weeks of intense US strikes.

United Kingdom-based security firm Ambrey said on Monday a “Liberia-flagged bulk carrier was approached and attacked by two skiffs and unmanned aerial vehicles while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.”