Cargo vessel attacked off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, says UKMTO

Aden, July 5 (IANS) A cargo vessel came under attack by unknown armed assailants off Yemen’s Red Sea coast on Sunday, triggering a distress alert, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

In a statement posted on its X handle, the UKMTO said it had received a report of the incident about 30 nautical miles southwest of the port city of Hodeidah.

It said authorities were investigating the incident and did not immediately provide details about the attackers, casualties or damage to the vessel, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

The latest incident came amid persistent security concerns in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where commercial vessels have faced a series of attacks, attempted boardings and piracy-related incidents in recent months.

The Indian Navy, last week, swiftly responded to an attempted pirate attack on a Grenadian-flagged bulk carrier, approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti.

“MV Golden Arsenal, a St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier, en route from Aden, Yemen, with 21 crew members, including one Indian national, reported an attempted pirate attack approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti on the afternoon of 01Jul 26,” the spokesperson of the Indian Navy wrote on X.

The piracy incident was reported in coordination with the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), following which the INS Trikand mission, deployed in the region, was directed to intercept the merchant vessel.

“Mission deployed INS Trikand, a stealth frigate of the Indian Navy operating in the Gulf of Aden, responded swiftly to the reported piracy attempt and arrived in the vicinity of the vessel early on 02 Jul 26,” it added.

The Master of MV Golden Arsenal confirmed the safety of all crew members despite damage to the bridge superstructure and adjoining compartments. The crew had taken shelter in the vessel’s citadel.

–IANS

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