The ship came under attack about 51 nautical miles south-west of Al Hudaydah in Yemen at about 11:25 AM UTC on Sunday. Image Credit: UKMTO

A commercial ship has been abandoned in the Red Sea after a series of attacks caused a fire onboard.

The ship came under attack about 51 nautical miles south-west of Al Hudaydah in Yemen at about 11:25 AM UTC on Sunday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said in a social media post.

“The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades,” the agency said.

“The company security officer has confirmed the vessel has been struck by unknown vessels resulting in a fire onboard.”

By Sunday afternoon, the vessel was noted to be taking on water and was abandoned by its crew.

Commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has come under attack from Yemen’s Houthi movement over the past two years in response to the war in Gaza, but these attacks have been much less common this year.