The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Thursday that it had received a report of an incident 75 nautical miles east of the Yemeni city of Aden, after a westbound oil tanker reported that a small boat had followed it and attempted to intercept its course. Authorities are continuing to verify the circumstances of the incident, while the identity of the responsible party and whether the tanker sustained any damage remain unclear.
Growing concerns over navigation in Bab el-Mandeb
The report comes amid growing international concerns about the safety of maritime traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, against the backdrop of Houthi threats and advances in recent days, including the seizure of Perim Island at the entrance to the Red Sea. Government forces, meanwhile, announced that they had redeployed their lines south of Mokha.
The developments coincided with attacks on Yemen’s western coast overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as well as on strategic islands in and around the strait.
