UKMTO Reports Loud Blast 95nm Southeast of Aden Amid Rising Tensions

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued an advisory on Wednesday stating that a loud blast was heard approximately 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, on August 6. The report was based on a tanker’s crew who described a sudden, forceful explosion near their vessel.

According to the tanker’s master, all fourteen crew members were safe and the ship continued its course after the incident. The UKMTO’s notice highlights the growing risk to commercial shipping in a region already experiencing a wave of attacks linked to the Houthi insurgency.

In parallel, sources from Houthi‑controlled areas of the central Al‑Bayda province claimed that a missile had been launched toward the same sector of Aden Bay, though the rebels have not officially claimed the explosion.

The blast follows a string of maritime incidents, including a projectile strike on a cargo ship off Oman’s coast earlier in the week and a bombing of an Indian‑flagged freighter in the Red Sea, which led to the rescue of fourteen sailors by Yemen’s National Resistance Forces.

Naval and coast‑guard units from several nations have stepped up patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, warning commercial captains to remain alert as the threat landscape continues to evolve.