Bulk carrier damaged near Yemen by two missile attacks

A bulk carrier that already took on water after a Houthi missile attack off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday has reported further damage following a second strike, UK Maritime Commercial Operations said on Tuesday.

Earlier today, maritime security and shipping sources identified the vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged Laax.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks in the Red Sea region since November in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. They have since spread to the Indian Ocean.

The Houthis sank one ship, seized another ship, killed two crew members and disrupted global shipping by forcing ships to avoid the nearby Suez Canal and redirecting trade around Africa.

The crew members involved in Tuesday's attacks are safe and their ship is heading to its next port of call, Britain's maritime safety body said in the updated incident report. The ship's next scheduled stop was in the United Arab Emirates.

The additional damage occurred 33 nautical miles northwest of Al Mukha, Yemen, the report said.

The Laax issued a distress call earlier Tuesday, saying it had suffered damage to its hold and was taking on water about 54 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, a said British security company Ambrey.

Greek maritime sources said the Laax was heading to a nearby port to assess the extent of the damage. Reuters was not immediately able to determine whether it was in the United Arab Emirates.

Its Greek operator Grehel Ship Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reuters – Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Yannis Souliotis in Athens, Adam Makary in Cairo, Jonathan Saul in London and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; editing by Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones and Cynthia Osterman)