Red Sea/Arabian Sea－Piracy and Maritime Crime 22 December 2023 No.1250 Tweet Download PDF (436KB) We have received the information regarding the subject matter from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.   As the media frequently reports, the risks of transiting the Red Sea have been getting higher because Houthi is attacking merchant vessels. Here are some incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.   RED SEA: On 14 December at 1146 UTC, a vessel reported an explosion 50 meters off its port quarter while underway near position 13:41N – 042:38E. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO （United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations）. RED SEA: On 14 December at 1145 UTC, an entity claiming to be the Yemeni Navy ordered a vessel underway in the Red Sea to alter course to Yemen, near position 14:54N – 042:01E. OMAN: On 13 December at 0500 UTC, five or six small boats followed a vessel underway approximately 90 NM south of Al Duqm, Oman, near position 18:30N – 058:44E. Each boat had up to three persons onboard, a machine gun mounted on the bow, and powerful outboard engines. The boats followed the vessel for 90 minutes and approached to within 0.7 NM of the vessel before leaving the area. RED SEA: On 13 December at 0400 UTC, a Malta-flagged bulk carrier was approached while underway 50 NM west of Hodeidah, Yemen, near position 14:48N – 042:04E. AIS data indicates that the vessel continued its voyage north through the Red Sea. RED SEA: On 13 December at 0343 UTC, a speedboat with three armed persons onboard approached and fired upon the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker ARDMORE ENCOUNTER underway approximately 50 NM from Hodeidah, Yemen, near position 14:48N – 041:57E. The speedboat had two outboard engines and approached the vessel at 20 knots. The embarked armed security team fired warning shots and the perpetrators fired up to 10 rounds at the tanker from a distance of 300 meters bef