Commercial vessel survives dual drone attacks off Yemeni coast despite damage

A commercial vessel encountered two drone attacks off the coast of Yemen on July 20 but continued its journey despite sustaining damage.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), overseen by the British Navy, reported that the incident occurred 64 nautical miles northwest of Mokha, Yemen, near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, as per Caliber.Az.

UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 103 ATTACK UPDATE 001

The Master reports two attacks: the first by an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS); the second by an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), Both the vessel and the crew are safehttps://t.co/6mNrG6W5iO#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/p55VoxFt5O

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) July 20, 2024

The vessel was initially struck by an unmanned aerial system, causing minor damage from the nearby explosion, UKMTO stated.

Shortly after, an unmanned surface vessel also exploded in close proximity to the vessel. Fortunately, both the crew and the ship remained unharmed.

Later, the vessel reported a missile that splashed down nearby, although it appeared to have been an unsuccessful missile strike, as noted by UKMTO.

The agency did not disclose the identity of the vessel or attribute responsibility for the attacks.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, backed by Iran, have conducted numerous drone and missile attacks against ships associated with Israel since November. They assert these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza conflict.