In an attack claimed by the pro-Iranian Yemeni Houthi rebels, a merchant ship flying the Belize flag but registered in the United Kingdom and operated from Lebanon was carried out in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen.
reports the British maritime security company Ambrey.
The ship, the bulk carrier Rubymar, risks sinking but the crew is safe, said the group's military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, quoted by Reuters on his website.
Military authorities have confirmed that the crew abandoned ship, writes the Guardian.
The ship was heading from the United Arab Emirates to Varna, Bulgaria when it was attacked, about 64 kilometers south of Mukha.
Sarea added that the Houthis also shot down a US drone in Hodeidah, Yemen.
Today the EU launches the Aspides mission, for the safety of commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
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