Cargo vessel exchanges fire with small armed craft southwest of Yemen: UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Wednesday that a cargo vessel exchanged fire with a small craft carrying six armed individuals 88 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Balhaf, marking the latest security incident in the strategically vital waterway.

Armed confrontation

The small craft approached the cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden region before the vessel's Armed Security Team engaged the suspected attackers. "There was an exchange of fire between the small craft and the cargo vessel's Armed Security Team resulting in the small craft turning away," the UKMTO said in a statement released on X. The agency provided no further details regarding potential casualties or damage to either vessel.

Investigation underway

Authorities have opened a formal probe into the encounter, the UKMTO added without specifying which national or international bodies would lead the inquiry. The incident occurred near Balhaf, a major liquefied natural gas terminal located on Yemen's southern coast along the Gulf of Aden.

Maritime security agencies continue to monitor shipping lanes through the region, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The UKMTO coordinates naval and commercial maritime activity across a vast area stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Persian Gulf.