British maritime security firm Ambrey says that a Liberia-flagged Israeli-owned tanker reported an explosion nearby, southwest of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
A vessel reported “a splash in close proximity from an unknown projectile and heard a loud bang,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says, adding that the vessel’s crew are all safe and it is continuing to its next voyage.
In a later update, Ambrey says it assessed the vessel to be “aligned with” the targets of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis’ profile given that it was publicly Israeli-owned.
Since 2023, the Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be affiliated with Israel in what they describe as support of Palestinians in Gaza.
It was not immediately clear if the Houthis were involved, and the group did not provide immediate comment on the reported incident. UKMTO did not identify the party responsible, but said authorities were investigating.
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