EMEA News
UKMTO Reports 'Suspicious Activity' in Red Sea
'Suspicious activity' that may have been an attempted vessel attack was reported in the Red Sea on Thursday, according to a British government agency monitoring maritime security in the region.
The Marshall Islands-flagged general cargo ship Agios Nektarios 1 reported the incident happened about 178 nautical miles north-west of Al Hudaydah early on Thursday morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said in a social media post on Friday.
"An unknown projectile was seen to impact the sea some distance from the Marshall Islands-flagged general cargo vessel Agios Nektarios 1," the agency said.
"The master also reported severe electronic interference in the area, and confirmed that the vessel was undamaged and the crew all safe."
Attacks on commercial shipping in the region from Yemen's Houthi movement in recent years have prompted most shipping companies to avoid the area, meaning the Suez Canal cannot be used and global bunker demand is raised as longer voyages around Africa are favoured. No change in this situation is likely at scale until we reach a prolonged period with no ship attacks.
