The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO),
and maritime security consultants Ambrey said the incident occurred some 95
nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen.
The US Central
Command identified the vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged Gibraltar
Eagle, describing it as a “US-owned and operated containershipâ€.
The vessel was initially transiting in the westbound
lane of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) en route to the
Suez Canal.
According to UKMTO,
no injuries or significant damage have been reported, and the 2015-built
ultramax, ex-Stony Stream, is continuing to its next port of call.
Ambrey has corroborated that the bulker was impacted
in hold number 5, adding that a total of three missiles were reportedly
launched by the Houthis, with two not reaching the sea and one impacting the
64,000 dwt bulker.
Ambrey assessed the attack to have targeted US
interests in response to US military strikes on Houthi military positions in
Yemen, the company said in a note Monday 15 Jan.
The vessel arrived
in the Gulf of Aden after industry and military advice to avoid the southern
Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait for 72 hours following
US and UK strikes on Houthi militants last week.