The Red Sea corridor typically sees $US1 trillion ($1.52 trillion) of goods move through it annually.

Two drone boats struck the ship Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas

CAIRO, July 6 (Reuters) – The crew of a ship set on fire in an attack in the Red Sea on Sunday abandoned the vessel as it took on water, a British maritime agency and a security firm said, in an assault that one of them said bore the hallmarks of the Houthi militant group.

The attack, off the southwest coast of Yemen, was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April. The firm later said the ship also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation in the region.

Two drone boats

It said two drone boats struck the ship, while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board which they identified as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas, had taken on water after being hit by sea drone

It was first targeted by gunfire and self-propelled grenades launched from eight small boats, with armed security on the ship returning fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and Ambrey said in advisories.

Ambrey said in a separate advisory that the ship was later attacked by four Unmanned Surface Vehicles.

“Two of the USVs impacted the port side of the vessel, damaging the vessel’s cargo,” Ambrey added. UKMTO said the attack resulted in a fire onboard and that the incident was ongoing.

There were no reports of injuries among the crew, a source at maritime security company Diaplous said. The vessel’s operator was not immediately available for comment

More than 100 merchant vessels

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors.

The attacks greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $US1 trillion ($1.52 trillion) of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused their attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the US launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March.

That assault ended weeks later, and the Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel since — though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.

Related : Houthis claim they will now limit Red Sea attacks to Israeli ships

Source :  Reuters +Agencies

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