The Houthi group claimed responsibility for targeting more than 20 ships in the areas of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait (French)

The British maritime security agencies "Embry" and "UKMTO" reported - on Wednesday - that a cargo ship flying the Barbados flag and owned by an American company was hit in an attack 57 nautical miles southwest of Aden in Yemen.

A shipping source told Reuters that 3 crew members of the bulk cargo ship True Confidence were missing and 4 others were severely burned after the ship was damaged.

An American official told Al Jazeera that Washington is aware of reports of deaths and injuries among the ship's crew, noting that the ship is owned by a company in Liberia.

On the other hand, Reuters quoted the owner of the targeted ship as saying that communication had been lost with 23 members of the ship’s crew and guards.

More details about the ship that was attacked off the coast of #Aden owned by a company in Liberia with #Al Jazeera correspondent Samir Al-Nimri #Gaza_War #News pic.twitter.com/Cg8NpWkc93

- Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) March 6, 2024

Embry initially said a nearby ship reported an explosion near the American-owned, Barbados-flagged cargo tanker, warning other commercial ships to stay away from it.

Prior to that, "Embry" indicated that the ship began to change its course after it received a call from a piece on which passengers introduced themselves as the Yemeni Navy, which is the name used by the Houthis in Yemen.

Later, Ambrey indicated that reports confirmed that the ship was hit and damaged, adding that rescue operations are currently underway with crew members in lifeboats.

The British Navy's UK MTO agency reported an attack southwest of Aden and later indicated that the ship had been hit and damaged, noting that nearby ships reported a strong explosion and a large column of smoke.

No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Since the beginning of last December, the Houthi group has claimed responsibility for targeting more than 20 ships in the areas of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, using missiles and drones, as part of its measures to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to Israeli ports from passing.

This comes in the context of the escalation the region is witnessing due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip for more than 4 months.

Source: Al Jazeera