Ambrey, a British security company, said that a merchant ship reported an explosion near it on Thursday in the Red Sea about 19 nautical mile west of Yemeni port city Mokha.

Separately, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Thursday that they had received a complaint of an accident 27 nautical miles south-west of Mokha. Authorities were investigating.

Ambrey wrote in a letter that the vessel was a perfect match for the Yemeni Houthi militants who have been attacking ships off Yemen's coasts for months.

Ambrey stated that the plane was on its way from Europe to the United Arab Emirates at the time and did not transmit an Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal. The report did not provide any other information.

The two incidents reported by Ambrey & UKMTO may not have been the same.

Since November, Houthis have repeatedly used drones and missiles to strike ships in critical shipping channels of Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab strait and Gulf of Aden.

It has caused shippers to redirect cargo on longer, more expensive trips around southern Africa. This has also stoked concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread to the Middle East and destabilise it.

The Houthi militia which controls Yemen's most populous areas and is aligned to Iran says that it is fighting in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians. Reporting by Enas Alashray and Yomna Elhab; Editing and production by Andrew Heavens Angus MacSwan Daniel Wallis