A drone has hit an Israeli-affiliated merchant vessel off the coast of India in the Arabian Sea, a UK maritime security firm has said.

It was the first such known attack so far away from the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war began.

There has been an increasing number of threats to vessels off the coast of Yemen, with Yemeni rebel group the Houthis saying their attacks are aimed at Israel-linked ships and are in support of Palestinians under siege by Israel in Gaza.

But the Liberian-flagged chemical product tanker was damaged 120 miles southwest of the Indian port of Veraval – more than 1,500 miles from the entrance to the Red Sea – according to Ambrey, a Hereford-based global maritime risk firm.

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There were no casualties, the firm said. It did not give further details about the vessel’s links to Israel.

Ambrey said the drone struck the stern and caused a fire onboard that was later extinguished, but the vessel suffered some structural damage and some water was taken onboard.

“The vessel was Israel-affiliated. She had last called in Saudi Arabia and was destined for India at the time,” Ambrey said.

“Merchant vessels are advised these types of attacks are typically targeted at Israel-affiliated shipping, but have in the past mistakenly hit previously Israel-affiliated vessels.”

The Indian Navy responded after the shipping company requested assistance, an Indian Navy official said.

“Indian Navy had dispatched an aircraft, which arrived overhead the MV (merchant vessel),” a statement by the navy said.

“Safety of the crew and ship was ascertained. A warship has also been dispatched to provide any assistance as required.”

The Indian Coast Guard identified the tanker as MV Chem Pluto and said it had 20 Indian nationals and one Vietnamese on board.

Meanwhile, another incident took place in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency announced.

Approximately 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen, there were multiple reports of drones flying low above a vessel before exploding about 1.5 nautical miles from the ship.

Vessels were advised to transit with caution, the agency said in a statement.

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Why are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea?

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Houthi militants threaten Red Sea vessels

Major global shipping firms have been forced to reroute their vessels in the wake of drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants.

Many vessels are taking a longer and costlier route around the southern tip of Africa.

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The British, US and French navies have responded by shooting down Houthi drones and missiles.

More than 20 countries including the UK have agreed to form a US-led coalition to help safeguard vessels from Houthi attacks, with at least one Royal Navy destroyer involved.

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Washington launched Operation Prosperity Guardian earlier this week, saying more than a dozen countries had agreed to participate in an effort involving joint patrols in Red Sea waters near Yemen.

Iran has denied US accusations it was involved in planning Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday.

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