A tanker has reported this Sunday the detection of several explosions in the vicinity of the ship while navigating through the Bab el Mandeb area, at the southwestern tip of Yemen, the passage that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The British Navy's maritime trade agency (UKMTO, for its acronym in English) has informed that it received the notice from the vessel about the incident, recorded about 60 nautical miles —approximately 110 kilometers— south of the Yemeni city of Mocha, recently taken by Houthi rebels.
"The crew of the tanker saw several explosions near the ship," the UKMTO has stated in a statement in which it emphasizes that the sailors are unharmed and that no damage to the environment has been reported.
The Houthis launched an offensive on September 3 in areas of the provinces of Taiz and Hodeida and, since then, have achieved significant territorial advances, including the control of the city of Mocha and nearby areas to the Bab el Mandeb strait, which represents a serious setback for the authorities recognized by the international community and militarily backed by Saudi Arabia.