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Armed Guards on Tanker Exchange Fire With Boat Near Yemen
- At least ten attacks on merchant ships since war in Gaza
- Insurance premiums are starting to rise for Red Sea shipping
The Ardmore Encounter vessel in 2017.
Photographer: Knut Helge Schistad/MarineTrafficThis article is for subscribers only.
Armed guards on a fuel tanker exchanged gunfire with a small boat in the Red Sea, another sign of escalating risks in one of the world’s most crucial waterways.
The frequency of attacks in the maritime corridor handling about 12% of global trade has increased in recent days. The latest incident takes the number of merchant ships attacked or approached around Yemen since Israel’s war with Hamas broke out in October to about a dozen. Iran-backed Houthi militants, who support Hamas in the conflict, have claimed many of those hits.