Explosion Damages Bulker in the Red Sea, Forcing Crew to Abandon Ship

 Yemen's Houthi rebels appear to have attacked and damaged a merchant ship in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb late Sunday,18 Feb, prompting the crew to abandon ship. The UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) reported the incident, but did not explicitly tie it to the Houthi group, which has been attacking shipping in the area since November. 

UKMTO initially received a report of an incident 35 nm south of Al Mukha, Yemen, at about 2000 hours UTC on Sunday. The vessel's master reported "an explosion in close proximity to the vessel resulting in damage," and luckily the crew were unharmed. 

In a follow-on update released in the early hours of Monday morning (local time), UKMTO advised that the crew had abandoned ship, and that unnamed military responders were on scene assisting. 

The AP has identified the target vessel as the bulker Rubymar, a British-owned, Lebanese-operated bulker flagged in Belize. 

Houthi representatives have not claimed responsibility for the damage to the vessel. However, spokesman Yahya Saree said to expect an update from the group on Monday morning 

Since the beginning of Israel's operation against terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea. They have also captured and held an Israeli-linked car carrier, the Galaxy Leader, and are still holding the vessel's crew. 

So far, no seafarers have been reported injured by Houthi strikes, thanks in part to an American-led maritime security campaign in the Red Sea. U.S. Navy destroyers and carrier-based fighters have shot down countless inbound Houthi munitions, preventing them from reaching their intended targets, and have destroyed dozens more on the ground. There have also been no further hijackings since the increased U.S. Navy presence began.