British security firm says Malta-flagged bulker impacted by missile northwest of Saleef, Yemen

Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, has said that on Tuesday, a Malta-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier was targeted and impacted with a missile as it was heading north in the Red Sea, 76 nautical miles northwest of Yemen port city Saleef.

Additionally, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that it received a report of an incident that took place 100 nautical miles northwest of Saleef.

Iran-aligned political and military organisation Houthi group has recently threatened to expand its targets in the Red Sea in a bid to protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza to also include United States ships. This comes in response to American and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.

The bulker was observed to change course to port.

Since November, attacks by the Houthis on ships in the area have had major impacts on companies and also alarmed Governments, as Israel’s conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza continues to escalate.

The group had said that it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

Apart from the significant disruptions to supply chains that these attacks could cause, there are also concerns that policymakers may start to find it increasingly difficult to keep global inflation in check.

An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian military groups has been ongoing in and around Gaza since last October, with clashes also taking place along the Israeli-occupied West Bank and on the Israel-Lebanon border.