Unidentified individuals in a wooden boat opened fire on a Comoros-flagged livestock carrier in the Red Sea on July 24, 2025. The attackers reportedly forced the vessel to divert to the Yemeni port city of Mocha, where it was temporarily detained.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) later reported that the ship was detained by the Yemeni Coast Guard.

A Yemeni maritime security official reportedly told Reuters that the vessel was held on suspicion and later released. Naval authorities were alarmed because the ship had turned off its AIS (Automatic Identification System) while sailing north from the Horn of Africa.

The ship, Merinos Livestock, a converted cargo vessel built in 1976, was traveling from Bosaso, Somalia, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when it was intercepted. At the time of the incident, it was sailing east of the Hanish Islands, about 30 nautical miles northwest of Mocha.

Ambrey stated that the vessel reported receiving instructions to head to Mocha, but did not specify who issued those instructions. The firm also warned ships to avoid the area east of the Hanish Islands and to stay clear of small boats in the region.

While some initial speculation linked the incident to the Houthis, who have targeted vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, there has been no claim of responsibility from the group so far.

The 88-meter-long ship, with a top speed of just 10 knots, is managed by a Greek company and flagged under Comoros. Maritime databases show that the vessel had 14 recorded deficiencies between 2016 and 2023 and it was detained multiple times.

The ship has not undergone a port state inspection since its renaming to Merinos Livestock last year.

Reference: Reuters

Source: www.marineinsight.com