Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea have abandoned the vessel as it took on water.

The Yemen-based armed group the Houthis began targeting vessels in the Red Sea shortly after Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, which the Houthis say is in defence of the Palestinians living in the besieged enclave.

Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea have abandoned the vessel after it took on water. The attack marks the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a months-long campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels there.