The crew of the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia have abandoned the container ship in the Red Sea - off the coast of Yemen - after an explosion sparked a major fire on Tuesday, two maritime sources said, adding the cause of the incident was not immediately clear.
AP reported that the ship was drifting and on fire about 225 kilometers off the coast of Hodeidah, a port city in Yemen held by the country’s Houthi rebels, according to the maritime group Diaplous Group.
The crew were rescued from the vessel unharmed, according to The Associated Press, citing a maritime industry official. The official did not want to be identified as authorization hadn’t been given to speak publicly about the incident.
The Shanghai-based manager of ASL Bauhinia, Asean Seas Line, was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier this month, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said the group would limit their attacks on commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea to Israel-linked ships provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented.
Houthi attacks
Commercial ship owners, insurers, and retailers remain cautious over the Houthis' announcement, with current traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal dominated by Chinese and Russian-linked vessels, which have been seen as lower risk.
Since the Houthis began attacks on shipping in sympathy with the Palestinians in Gaza, most vessels have diverted to the longer east-west route via the southern tip of Africa.
This is not the first vessel to set on fire in the Red Sea. A Houthi attack on the oil tanker MV Sounion in August 2024 led to multiple fires, continuing to burn for several weeks.
There were no visible indications of an oil spill, but experts attempted a risky operation to salvage the ship due to it holding about one million barrels of crude oil.