DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — A Cameroon-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker issued a distress signal after an explosion onboard while off the coast of Yemen, British maritime security firm Ambrey and the European Union's naval task force reported on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the Gulf of Aden, about 60 nautical miles south of Ahwar, on the southern coast of Yemen, according to Ambrey.

According to the British Royal Navy-run UKMTO agency, a fire started aboard the vessel after it was hit by an unknown projectile.

Ambrey said the crew had signaled their intention to abandon ship and that a search and rescue operation was underway.

According to Aspides, the European Union task force, 24 of the MV Falcon's 26 crew members were rescued, and two were reported missing. Rescue operations were ongoing, it said.

Ambrey said that the LNG tanker, bound for Djibouti from Sohar in Oman, did not belong to the category of vessels usually targeted by Houthi rebels in the area.

The Houthi-run official news agency Saba quoted an official military source as denying involvement in an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden.

"The Yemeni armed forces had nothing to do with that incident," it quoted the source as saying.

Nevertheless, this major shipping route for global trade has been the scene of numerous attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Iran-backed group has fired missiles and drones at ships they say are linked to Israel, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Ambrey, however, indicated that the LNG carrier had been mentioned in 2022 by the United States organization United Against Nuclear Iran as being involved in sanctions evasion activities.

At the end of September, an attack by Yemeni rebels on a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden left one person dead.

In response, the Israeli military bombed several Houthi targets in Sanaa, as well as in northern and western Yemen, where the rebels control large areas.

The Houthis recently said they remained on "alert" following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, claiming to be closely monitoring its implementation before considering suspending their operations.