A fire broke out on two ships after they were hit by missiles off Aden, Yemen, British marine safety company Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today.

Ambrey announced today that an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship was hit by a missile 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden. The attack started a fire, which was quickly brought under control.

Earlier, UKMTO said it received a report from a ship captain of an incident 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

“The ship was heading southwest across the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when its forward section was hit by a missile. A fire broke out but was put out,” Ambrey said.

“A second missile was also seen but did not hit the ship. People on small boats a short distance away opened fire on the ship during the incident.”

Ambrey said the ship changed course, sailing to port, and increased its speed, adding that no injuries were reported.

In separate statements, Ambrey and UKMTO said they received a report of another incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden.

“The captain reports that the ship was hit by an unknown projectile in the stern section, causing a fire to break out. Actions have been launched to control the damage,” the UKMTO said. He added that no damage had been reported and that the vessel was sailing to its next port of supply.

Since last November, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have frequently launched missile and drone attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. They initially said they were targeting ships linked to Israel, but later expanded their targets to include ships linked to the US and Britain in retaliation for strikes against their positions in Yemen by forces from those countries.

Houthi attacks in the region have caused problems for global shipping, forcing many companies to send their ships on time-consuming and more expensive voyages around southern Africa.