A merchant ship successfully defended itself from an armed attack by several small boats around 15 nautical miles west of Yemen, as reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO). This incident highlights ongoing security concerns in waters where major shipping lines are considering resuming their routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The UKMTO stated that the ship encountered about 15 small boats that approached within 1-2 cables before gunfire was exchanged. "The Master confirms the vessel remains on high alert and all crew are reported safe," the report noted. The small boats eventually left the scene without any casualties, and the ship continued its journey to the next port.

UKMTO later classified the situation as suspicious and advised vessels to "transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."

This attack follows a similar incident that occurred earlier this month when a bulk carrier faced a coordinated attack in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s coast on December 5. That ship, identified by MarineTraffic data as the Bobic, was targeted in two separate attacks involving small boats and a suspected mothership. The ship's Armed Security Team managed to repel both attacks by firing back at the approaching boats.

Another nearby vessel, the Globe Aliki, observed the small boats from about 1 nautical mile away but did not come under attack itself.

These recent incidents occur as the Red Sea shipping corridor shows early signs of recovery. There is cautious optimism following a Houthi announcement in November that maritime operations in the Red Sea would be suspended, although security experts caution that risks are not fully eliminated.

Traffic through the Suez Canal has seen a slight improvement, with November numbers reporting 1,156 ships carrying 48.5 million tons of cargo, generating $383.4 million in revenue. This marks an increase compared to November 2024, which had 1,000 ships, 38.3 million tons of cargo, and $300.6 million in revenue.

The captain of the recently attacked vessel confirmed that all crew members are safe, but further details are limited due to the incident's quickly unfolding nature.