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UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported an attack on the Panama-flagged Tanker BENTLEY I (IMO: 9253129) 70NM southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, on 15 July 2024 at 05:30UTC. The vessel was approached by three blue and white small craft. Two of the small craft had three persons onboard, while the third was unmanned.

The unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice, and the two manned small craft exchanged fire with the Tanker's armed security team. The vessel implemented self-protection measures, and after 15 minutes, the small craft aborted the attack. A larger vessel with three other boats was observed nearby.

This incident was part of a swarm of attacks by the Houthis on multiple vessels sailing in the Red Sea on Monday. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed these latest operations were a response to the Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday.

The vessel and crew are reported safe and are proceeding to their next port of call. Authorities are investigating the incident.

All vessels in the area are advised to proceed with caution and to report any suspicious activities to the UKMTO.

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