Beirut, Oct 19, (dpa/GNA) – An explosion sparked a fire on a ship off the coast of Yemen on Saturday, the European Union’s Aspides mission in the Red Sea reported.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but initial indications suggest it was caused by an accident, the mission said in a statement.
It said the incident had occurred on Saturday morning south-east of Yemen’s port of Aden, as the Cameroonian-flagged boat was en route to Djibouti.
According to the statement, 24 of the 26 crew members have left the ship. One person remained on board and another was missing.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations, the British authority responsible for the safety of merchant shipping, previously reported that the ship had been hit by a projectile, which caused the fire.
Following the outbreak of the Gaza war two years ago, Yemen’s Houthi militia launched attacks on Israel and targeted merchant ships, suspected of links to the country, causing fires, severe damage and sinking some vessels.
Since the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas movement took effect last week, the Houthis have not claimed any new attacks. The militia has not commented on Saturday’s incident.
GNA