The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Monday that it received a report of an incident 50 nautical miles south of Aden, Yemen.

The authority said in a statement that a tanker was sailing eastward through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor and reported six small boats approaching from the starboard side.

It added that one of the small boats approached to within five cables (one cable equals 185.2 meters), prompting the armed security team on board the tanker to fire warning shots, while the other five boats remained at a distance of one nautical mile.

It noted that authorities are investigating the incident, urging ship operators to exercise caution during transit and report any suspicious activity.

It is noteworthy that in March, the European naval mission tasked with protecting international navigation in the region, Aspides, called on ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to exercise caution.

The Aspides mission said: 'We do not rule out the Houthis targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.'

Advertisement

Advertisement