DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship Tuesday traveling north through the Red Sea, sparking a major fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel, shipping industry officials said.
The ship was drifting and ablaze some 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Hodeida, a port city in Yemen held by the country's Houthi rebels, said the Diaplous Group, a maritime firm. It did not name the vessel.
Data from NASA satellites tracking wildfires showed the blaze burning Tuesday and Wednesday off Eritrea’s Dahlak Archipelago corresponded to satellite-tracking data from MarineTraffic.com for the location of the ASL Bauhinia, a Hong Kong-flagged container ship. It had been traveling from the United Arab Emirates' Jebel Ali port in Dubai to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, before beginning to drift Tuesday.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire in the Red Sea, which has been repeatedly targeted by attacks from the Houthis. The rebels said last week they were limiting their assaults following a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the fire incident.
The vessel was abandoned and the crew later rescued unharmed, another maritime industry official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as authorization hadn't been given to speak publicly about the incident.
The official described the cargo aboard the vessel as “dangerous,” without immediately elaborating. The ultimate owner of the ASL Bauhinia, CSSC Hong Kong Shipping Co. Ltd., could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
The Red Sea is home to coral and marine life that previously has been threatened by burning ships from the Houthi campaign and the threat of wider oil spills.
The Houthi attacks, which began in November 2023, have halved the number of ships passing through the Red Sea corridor, a crucial route for energy shipments and cargo moving between Asia and Europe. Despite the pledge by the Houthis to limit their attacks, shippers broadly are still shying away from the route over the risks.
Some $1 trillion worth of trade passed through the region each year before the attacks.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press