The UK Navy downgraded an “attack” of a vessel off Yemen to an “incident,” though said the situation is ongoing and advised other ships in the area to be cautious.
(Bloomberg) — The UK Navy downgraded an “attack” of a vessel off Yemen to an “incident,” though said the situation is ongoing and advised other ships in the area to be cautious.
A vessel came under gunfire off the coast of Yemen, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations said earlier on Friday, a day after Iran was accused of seizing an oil tanker in Persian Gulf waters much further north.
There’s no indication the two incidents are connected. The Yemen attack was close to country’s shore and far from the shipping lanes typically used by large vessels.
US Demands Iran Release Oil Tanker Seized in Gulf of Oman
Shots were fired from three boats at the vessel about 18 nautical miles south of the Yemeni town of Nishtun, UKMTO said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the latest attack or what type of ship was targeted.
It later said that it was “confirmed by authorities as government agency activity,” without clarifying further.
On Thursday, the US demanded that Iran release a tanker hauling crude through the Gulf of Oman, the latest flare-up in one of the world’s important waterways. That attack happened in a narrow naval passage between Iran and the Arabian peninsula.
Oil was largely steady on Friday, with Brent up 0.4% to $78.70 a barrel 11:00 a.m. in London.
(Updates with UK Navy’s comments.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.