A cargo ship came under attack in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, on Sunday, according to the British military, marking the latest maritime incident in the volatile region.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said the vessel was attacked about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southwest of the coastal city of Hodeida, which is controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, according to a report by AP.
The ship reported being targeted by “unknown armed assailants,” and authorities are investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, no group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Houthis had recently threatened to resume strikes on shipping, though they have not carried out such operations lately.
In previous attacks, the rebels launched drones and missiles at vessels passing near territory they control along the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
Those assaults, linked to the Gaza war, prompted many shipping companies to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa rather than risk the Suez Canal route at the northern end of the Red Sea.
Somali pirates have also been active in the Gulf of Aden lately.
On July 1, suspected pirates attacked a vessel 76 nautical miles (140 km) south of the port town of Balhaf in southeastern Yemen. According to the UKMTO, four armed men in a small craft boarded or approached the ship and caused minor damage to its bridge.
Meanwhile, Indian Naval Ship Trikand, a stealth frigate on operational deployment in the Gulf of Aden, responded to a piracy attempt on the St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier MV Golden Arsenal on 1 July 2026.
The merchant vessel, which was transiting from Aden, Yemen, reported an attempted pirate attack approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti. Acting on information shared through the Information Fusion Centre, Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), INS Trikand was immediately directed to intercept the vessel.
The bulk carrier, with 21 crew members on board including one Indian national, sustained damage to its bridge superstructure and adjacent compartments during the incident. All crew members had safely taken refuge in the ship’s citadel.
On the morning of 2 July 2026, a boarding team from INS Trikand boarded MV Golden Arsenal to sanitise the vessel and assess the situation.
After a thorough search, no suspicious personnel were found. The crew then safely exited the citadel. Indian Navy personnel and the crew jointly carried out a damage assessment.To support the operation, the Indian Navy deployed a P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance over the area.
With the vessel fully sanitised and the threat neutralised, INS Trikand has concluded its anti-piracy response. MV Golden Arsenal has resumed its onward journey.The Indian Navy remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding merchant shipping and ensuring the safety of seafarers of all nationalities in the Indian Ocean Region.
