The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said on Sunday, 4 October 2026, that a tanker about 60 nautical miles south of the port of Mocha, off the coast of Yemen, had observed several explosions close to it. According to the agency, the ship's crew are safe and no environmental damage has been reported.
According to Voice of America and Middle East Eye, the explosions were reported by the security officer of the company that owns the tanker. UKMTO did not disclose the name of the vessel, the extent of any damage or the origin of the explosions, and said the matter was under investigation. The agency urged ships transiting the area to proceed with caution and to report any suspicious activity. At the time of publication, no group had claimed responsibility for the incident.
Coinciding with the start of an operation against the Houthis
The incident took place on the same day that Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced the start of a large-scale military operation to retake areas controlled by the Islamic Republic-backed Houthis; according to media reports, Saudi Arabia is providing air support for the operation. The Houthis had previously taken control of Yemen's coastline on the Red Sea and of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
In recent months the Houthis have repeatedly attacked commercial ships with weapons that, according to the United States and countries in the region, they have received from the Islamic Republic. According to the Ship & Bunker website, citing Reuters, in July–August this year a cargo ship was hit by a projectile near the same port of Mocha and four of its crew were killed; UKMTO attributed that attack to the Houthis. The attack came after the Houthis had declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in June–July.
Two maritime chokepoints under pressure
Insecurity in the southern Red Sea has grown while the Strait of Hormuz also remains closed, with the Islamic Republic making its reopening conditional on its seven conditions being met. On the evening of the same day, UKMTO had also reported that an unidentified projectile had struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneous insecurity in Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has put the region's two main energy export chokepoints under pressure.
As the Yemeni government launched its offensive against the Houthis, a tanker in the southern Red Sea reported several explosions nearby.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.