The Greek-owned and Liberia-registered tanker ‘Delta Blue’ was attacked twice in the span of 24 hours off the Yemeni port of Mokha, in the southern Red Sea, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The attacks have all the hallmarks of the Iran-backed Houthi militants, which operate in a good chunk of the strife-plagued and impoverished country on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula.

According to the latest reports, the crew is unhurt and the vessel appears intact and continuing a route toward its next destination,  UKMTO stated.

Reports indicate the two incidents involved an attack by an unmanned surface vessel and another using a missile, which landed near the ship, according to UKMTO.

Yesterday, Thursday, the ship’s skipper reported that two small boats, each manned by a four-member crew, approached the tanker and launched an anti-tank rocket that exploded near the Delta Blue, as it was sailing approximately 45 nautical miles south of Mokha.

Hours later, another missile exploded near the Greek-owned tanker, it was reported. The vessel’s management company is Delta Tankers, based in Athens, according to Reuters, citing data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

Since last November, the Houthis rebels have frequently launched attacks on commercial ships in the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the two, ostensibly in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and following the outbreak of war in the Palestinian enclave after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel.