Yemen: Cargo vessel in the Red Sea hit by missile the day after another ship struck

The Greek-owned bulk carrier MT Zografia with 24 crew on board was reportedly sailing empty of cargo from Vietnam to Israel when it was hit by a missile off Yemen while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.

Another cargo vessel has been hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen, according to reports.

The Greek-owned bulk carrier MT Zografia with 24 crew on board was sailing empty of cargo from Vietnam to Israel, Greek shipping ministry sources told Reuters news agency.

The vessel was hit by a missile off  Yemen while heading north in the Red Sea, sources said, adding no one was injured.

It comes a day after Marshall Islands-flagged Gibraltar Eagle, which is US-owned, was struck by a missile some 110 miles (177km) southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden, causing a fire in the cargo hold.

British maritime security firm Ambrey warned in an advisory note on Tuesday that a Malta-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and hit by a missile.

Royal Navy agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) – which provides security information to merchant shipping – also said it had received a report of an “incident” 100 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port of Salif.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi fighters have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is an effort to support Palestinian group Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge Tuesday’s attack – which comes in the wake of  US and UK-led airstrikes on them last week.

More than 60 targets in 28 locations in Yemen were hit with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine.

Both US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have refused to rule out further strikes, which the UK PM says was “self-defence”.

Around 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea.

In response, some shipping companies have instructed vessels to sail around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, a slower and more expensive route.

Concerns have been growing about the global economic impact of the disruption to shipping through the vital Red Sea, with vessels choosing to divert, pushing up the cost of trade and adding to inflationary pressures.

Another shipping operator, Japan’s Nippon Yusen, suspended sailings through the Red Sea on Tuesday, after the Houthi group threatened to expand its targets.

US naval forces seized Iranian-made missile parts and other weaponry from a ship bound for Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a raid last week, US Central Command said on Tuesday.

The seized missile components included types likely to have been used in the Red Sea shipping attacks.

The attacks, US-led retaliatory strikes and the raid all have raised tensions across the wider Middle East.