AN India-flagged small cargoship sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday after being struck by a projectile off Yemen, in an incident that further raises tensions in a region already facing heightened security risks.

The dhow Faize Noore Oliya capsized and sank following the attack, although all seafarers on board were rescued by Yemeni authorities, according to India’s minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal.

“India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenceless mechanised sailing vessel,” Sonowal said in an X post on Tuesday, vowing to ensure “absolute security” for all Indian seafarers in the region.

All 14 seafarers on the vessel, including 13 Indian nationals, have been safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and brought to the port of Mokha, he said.

Yemen’s UN-recognised government said the attack was carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels with an explosive-laden boat, according to state media Saba News Agency. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility on the attack.

The targeted vessel wasn’t carrying weapons but commercial goods for Yemen, officials said, noting that the attack will prolong the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Faize Noore Oliya appears to be the second dhow, which are typically of wooden construction and of below 100 gross tonnes, to be attacked in the region this year.

In May, the Haji Ali, sailing from Somalia to the United Arab Emirates with 14 seafarers on board and a cargo of livestock, was reportedly hit by an unidentified explosive object.

The crew abandoned ship using the vessel's lifesaving equipment before it sank. After the dhow issued a distress signal near the Omani coast, the Oman Coast Guard rescued all 12 seafarers and brought them safely to Dibba, Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.