Cargo ship reports attack near Yemen in Red Sea
UKMTO said a vessel sent a distress alert southwest of Al Hudaydah, close to a trade route central to oil flows and commercial shipping.
By Sarah Jenkins · Chief Macro Economics Correspondent
· 3 min read
A cargo ship in the Red Sea sent a distress alert on Sunday saying it was under attack 30 nautical miles, or 56 kilometers, southwest of Yemen’s Al Hudaydah port, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said. The reported incident occurred near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical passage for commercial and energy shipping, while benchmark Brent crude has fallen 39% from its March highs, CNBC reported.
UKMTO, the British maritime security alert service, said in a post on X that the vessel reported an attack by unidentified assailants. The agency said authorities were investigating and advised ships in the area to proceed with caution.
The alert adds risk to a waterway that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Vessels using the route can connect Mediterranean and European trade lanes with Asian markets through the Suez Canal and Red Sea system, making the Bab el-Mandeb one of the main pressure points in global shipping.
CNBC reported that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea from 2023 through 2025 in response to Israel’s war in Gaza. The group has largely stayed out of the U.S.-Iran war, according to CNBC.
Why the route matters for oil flows
The Bab el-Mandeb has taken on added significance because of disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz, another major energy transit route between Iran and Oman. Hormuz is a primary channel for Middle Eastern oil exports, while Bab el-Mandeb provides a route from the Red Sea into the Arabian Sea and onward to Asian buyers.
CNBC reported that the Bab el-Mandeb served as a relief valve for oil markets after exports through Hormuz dropped following Iranian attacks on tanker and cargo vessels. Those attacks followed U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, according to CNBC.
Saudi Arabia increased shipments through its East-West Pipeline after Hormuz closed, CNBC reported. The pipeline allows Saudi crude to move from production areas in the east of the kingdom to Red Sea export terminals, reducing reliance on the Persian Gulf route. CNBC said Riyadh redirected millions of barrels per day to the Red Sea, with those cargoes then moving through Bab el-Mandeb toward Asian markets including Japan and South Korea.
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end nearly four months of war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, CNBC reported. The agreement also established 60 days of talks aimed at reaching a permanent peace deal, according to CNBC.
Oil shipments through Hormuz have increased since the June 17 agreement, CNBC reported, citing data from trade intelligence firm Kpler. Saudi Arabia shipped about 34 million barrels of oil through Hormuz from June 17 to early July, Kpler data cited by CNBC showed. Over the two weeks to July 2, Saudi shipments through the strait were more than double the 15 million barrels moved from March 9 through June 17, according to the same data.
UKMTO did not identify the vessel in its alert or name the assailants. It said the incident remained under investigation.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC Markets.
