FOUR seafarers have reportedly been killed in an attack on a cargoship in the Bab el Mandeb strait, marking the first reported fatalities in the region linked to maritime attacks in more than a year.

UKMTO reported that a cargo vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile on August 11, resulting in casualties, although no time of the incident was provided.

The vessel was not identified by UKMTO, but regional security sources and the Yemeni Ministry of Transport named it as the 2024-built, Tanzania-flagged, 520 dwt Tihamah (IMO: 1031329).

Local sources said the vessel was carrying weapons bound for government-aligned forces in Yemen, although Lloyd’s List has been unable to independently verify those claims.

Conversely, the Yemeni ministry said the vessel was carrying food supplies when it was hit by three ballistic missile strikes.

Four crew members, three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian, were reported killed said the ministry, while four others were injured.

The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Yemini ministry has blamed the group for the strike.

If the group was behind the strike, the deaths would be the first attributed to Houthi attacks on merchant shipping since seafarers were killed aboard Eternity C in July 2025.

Separately, the Panama-flagged 1,050 teu containership Vela Nova (IMO: 9136228) was reportedly struck in the Gulf of Oman, about 71 nautical miles off the Pakistani coast, at approximately 0715 hrs UTC on August 11.

Security sources said the vessel was hit by a missile fired from a helicopter. The Wall Street Journal reported that US forces carried out the strike, although US Central Command had not confirmed involvement at the time of writing.

The attack reportedly left Vela Nova not under command. All 17 crew members have been accounted for.