DUBAI: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on Friday that it had received a report of a failed attempt to hijack a vessel 195 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen.
The master of the vessel reported that a small vessel with five or six armed men with ladders approached him.
Houthi militants from Yemen have launched drone and missile attacks on ships in and around the Red Sea and Indian Ocean in support for the Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
Naval sources say the pirates may be emboldened by the relaxation of security or take advantage of the chaos caused by attacks on shipping by the Iran-aligned Houthis.
The vessel was fired upon but people in the small craft were forced to abort their approach as the vessel’s security team returned fire, UKMTO said.
The vessel and its crew are said to be safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port, it said.
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