A cargo ship with no crew aboard was struck by multiple unidentified projectiles about 40 nautical miles southeast of Al Mukha, Yemen, and declared a constructive total loss, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.
The attack occurred at about 1100 UTC on 17 August and was detailed in Warning 117-26 on 18 August. The damage amounted to a “complete constructive loss”. Authorities are investigating. The vessel’s name, flag, owner, operator, manager and cargo have not been disclosed. The circumstances in which the ship came to be without crew remain unclear, and no attacker has been officially identified.
Al-Mukha port remains closed to commercial traffic after more than 25 cumulative missile impacts and fires at its berths. Commercial logistics in the lower Red Sea have been forced to reroute. The threat level for Bab el-Mandeb and the southern Red Sea remains substantial, with further attacks considered a strong possibility.
The incident follows the 11 August attack on Tihamah near Perim Island in Bab el-Mandeb. Four crew members — three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian — were killed. Two Yemeni rescuers also died during the response, while 10 other people were injured.