Merchant Ship, Crew Reported Safe After Incident off Djibouti

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Wednesday that a merchant vessel and its crew were reported safe after an incident 72 nautical miles east southeast off the port of Djibouti.

UKMTO said in an updated advisory note that the master of the vessel had reported an explosion in the water a distance from the vessel.

"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity," the note said.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea region since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.

(Reuters - Reporting by George Obulutsa and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning)