A commercial tanker reported a near-miss involving an “unknown projectile” about 40 nautical miles southwest of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on August 31, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The master of the vessel “witnessed a splash in close proximity to their vessel from an unknown projectile and heard a loud bang.”
UKMTO said, “All crew are safe and the vessel continues on its voyage,” adding that authorities are investigating and advising vessels in the area to transit with caution.
British security company Ambrey stated that the ship was a Liberia-flagged, publicly Israeli-owned tanker and suggested that its profile matched vessels previously threatened by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
UKMTO did not assign responsibility for the incident.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) is an operations center sponsored by the Royal Navy. It manages voluntary ship reporting schemes for merchant vessels transiting high-risk maritime regions, including the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. UKMTO issues alerts and acts as a communication channel between commercial shipping and military forces.