Two ships traveling in the Red Sea faced attacks when traversing near Al Hudaydah, Yemen, on 01 October. This is the first time since 02 September that attacks on merchant vessels have resumed in the Red Sea. The attacks come in the wake of the war in Gaza intensifying following the death of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
The first incident involves the captain of the vessel reporting four distinct splashes near the vessel around 64 nautical miles northwest of Al Hudaydah. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) has identified the splashes to likely have resulted from missiles or drones launched at the vessel.
Later, the UKMTO reported that the vessel was struck by an uncrewed surface vessel, damaging the hull and puncturing port-side ballast tank no. 6.
The second incident involves a vessel being struck by a missile around 97 nautical miles northwest of Al Hudaydah. The master of the vessel has reported that although the vessel has sustained damage, all crew are reported to be safe.
The names of the vessels were not publicly released. The UKMTO has advised all vessels traversing through the area to proceed with caution. As of now, the Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attacks.
