British Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender docked in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine, June 18, 2021 (Reuters)

Britain's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency on Friday confirmed that it has received reports of a vessel coming under attack south of Yemen's coastal town of Nishtun.

In a statement, the agency indicated that shots were fired at the vessel, adding that three boats, each with three or four people aboard, were also sighted.

The UKMTO, a British military organization that provides support to ships across the Middle East, did not give further details, but several vessels have been attacked in recent years off the coast of Yemen.

UKMTO WARNING 001/APR/23
ATTACK
UKMTO have received a report of a vessel under attack in position 1531.838N 05213.688 (18NM south of Nishtun, Yemen). Shots fired at vessel, 3 boats with 3-4 POB on each.https://t.co/a6eYax4Zi0 #MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/PvKXSCPRTb
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) April 28, 2023

It is noteworthy that Nishtun is currently under the control of Saudi-backed forces. A mysterious attack also targeted a cargo ship off the town in December 2022.

In May 2022, the agency reported that a ship was attacked off the Yemeni port city of Al-Hudaydah.

At the time, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet Command confirmed that it was aware of the incident in the Red Sea but declined to comment immediately.