A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier off the Yemeni coast handled water after being targeted with three rockets, maritime security and shipping sources said on Tuesday.

The ship provided a distress call, saying it had sustained damage to the freight hold and was handling water about 54 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, British security firm Ambrey stated.

Greek shipping sources said the vessel, which bears the name Laax, was sailing to a port close by to examine the level of the damage. It was headed to the United Arab Emirates.

Its Greece-based operator Grehel Shipmanagement did not right away reply to a request for remark.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said independently on Tuesday that it had gotten a report of an occurrence 31 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah.

The ship was hit by missiles and continual damage, reporting an impact in the water in close distance to the vessel, UKMTO stated, including that the team were reported safe and the vessel was continuing to its next port of call.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have actually launched duplicated drone and rocket strikes in the Red Sea area because November, later on expanding to the Indian Ocean, in what they say is uniformity with Palestinians.