UK maritime agency says only warning shots fired in Aden incident

Feb 17 (Reuters) - A ‌UK maritime agency ​said ​that an incident involving a vessel and small boats around 70 nautical miles southwest of ‌Yemen's port of Aden on Tuesday had been ⁠downgraded to "suspicious activity" as only warning shots were fired.

The United Kingdom ‌Maritime Trade Operations had ‌earlier said it received a report of an exchange of small-arms fire after a vessel was approached and ​hailed by a white skiff with five people on board.

In an update, it said it had been ⁠made aware that only warning shots were fired and no weapons were ​directed at either vessel.

Two additional skiffs were also reported in the vicinity, and authorities were ​investigating, according to UKMTO, which advised ‌vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Yemen's Houthi militants have launched ⁠numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's ⁠war in Gaza. But the attacks have halted since a ceasefire ​between Israel and Hamas was brokered in October.

Some shipping companies remain wary of resuming voyages through those waters, however.

The attacks have ‌disrupted trade flows through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's ‌busiest shipping routes.

Somali pirate gangs, who often used small, ⁠fast open boats known ‌as skiffs, were ​once active in the area.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Alex ‌Richardson)

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