UKMTO reporting indicates that a ship has reported a close approach by an unknown craft 30nm west of port Saleef.
The vessel and its crew are safe and continue on their passage.
Commenting on the incident, Dryad reports that it took place 30nm NW of the boarding and subsequent detention of the UAE flagged MV Rwabee on the 2nd January 22.
In light of the above, the Arab coalition has threatened to use force if the Houthis do not immediately release the UAE-flagged cargo ship, saying that it had been transporting medical equipment from the remote Yemeni island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea to the Saudi port of Jazan when armed Houthis attacked it.
While details remain unclear, Dryad notes that “it is highly likely that Houthi forces are operating throughout the area at a heightened state of alert following what a Houthi spokesperson described as the detention of a”
Military cargo ship with military equipment on board, that entered Yemeni waters without any license and engaged in hostilities targeting the security and stability of the Yemeni people
Vessels are reminded that because of the ongoing conflict in Yemen and subsequent contested maritime space offshore Saleef and Hudaydah and the potential for incident, transits through the lower Red Sea are recommended to be conducted West of the Hanish and Zubair Islands.
