A British-owned cargo vessel has been attacked in the Red Sea, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

The ship was attacked west of Hodeida in Yemen just after midnight on Tuesday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Associated Press reports Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are suspected.

The UKMTO said the ship’s master was “aware of a small craft on his Port side” before a projectile was fired at the ship.

No crew were injured and the vessel sustained small damages to its bridge windows.

The vessel was deemed safe to continue its journey.

Maritime security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a Barbados-flagged general cargo ship owned by a British company, saying it incurred physical damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while sailing southeast through the Red Sea.

McDonald’s sales dented as Israel-Hamas war boycotts bite

The Week… Ministers try to avert war

Emily Hand: Irish-Israeli former Hamas hostage, 9, ‘threatened with knife’ during ordeal

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

On Monday, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told the Commons the UK would not hesitate to respond again “in self-defence” to Houthi attacks in Yemen.

He was updating MPs after the UK and the US took part in joint airstrikes against Houthi sites on Saturday.

Mr Shapps said the attacks were in line with international law and in self-defence and had targeted “three military facilities” hitting “11 separate targets” identified following “very careful analysis”.

Attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa – while stoking fears the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilise the wider Middle East.

Related posts:

How many vaccines has each G7 country pledged to poorer nations? Fire breaks out at Andorra’s home stadium a day before England’s World Cup qualifier Norway mass shooting suspect ‘radicalised Islamist’ – as terror threat raised to highest level At least 17 people found dead in South African nightclub Hungary leader Viktor Orban’s adviser quits over ‘pure Nazi’ speech about migration Kim Jong Un says he is ready to use his nuclear weapons No let-up in China’s zero-COVID stance as cases surge to highest since Shanghai lockdown Biden says he ‘strongly supports’ Windsor Framework at St Patrick’s Day meeting Ecuador party of slain presidential candidate picks replacement Jersey hit by ‘strongest tornado in 70 years’ Kim Jong Un wipes away tears as he calls on North Korean women to have more babies More than 1,000 migrants reach Canary Islands in three days