An explosion of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship ASL Bauhinia forced the crew to abandon the vessel with its "dangerous" cargo on board on Tuesday near the coast of Yemen, shipping industry officials said.
The Red Sea has been repeatedly targeted by attacks from Houthis rebels who announced they are scaling back their assaults following a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The ship was drifting and engulfed in flames approximately 140 miles off the coast of Hodeida, a Yemeni port city controlled by Houthi rebels, according to the Diaplous Group, a maritime firm.
The cause of the fire remains unclear and the Houthis did not immediately comment on the incident.
The vessel was abandoned, and its crew was later rescued unharmed, another maritime industry official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the incident publicly, described the ship's cargo as "dangerous" but did not provide further details
It is understood to be time chartered to Dubai-based container line operator Emirates Shipping Line, Constructed by Chinese shipbuilder .
According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence the vessel is classed by Nippon Kaji Kyokai and is entered with P&I club Streaming .