Unmanned Cargo Ship Declared Total Loss After Attack In Southern Red Sea Off Yemen

An unmanned ship hit by several unknown projectiles in the southern Red Sea has been declared a total loss by the UKMTO due to the massive damage inflicted on the ship.

According to the local authorities, the incident occurred 40 nautical miles southeast of Al Mokha in Yemen at 1100 hours on August 17, 2026.

No other details like the name of the vessel or the cargo it was carrying have been provided, though UKMTO has urged ships crossing the area to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity or object to the authorities.

Ship traffic through the southern part of the Red Sea and the Bab el Mandeb has dropped significantly since the Yemen-backed Houthis blocked Saudi shipping in the Red Sea from July 20, 2026 onwards.

After the announcement, several attacks on ships were reported in the region, including an attack on the vessel Tihama earlier in August, which was sailing off the port of Al Mokha in Yemen.

“Following over 25 cumulative missile impacts and berth fires, Al-Mokha Port remains completely closed to commercial traffic, forcing remaining lower Red Sea commercial logistics to reroute,” said JMIC.

JMIC’s new advisory has categorised the threat to ships in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb as substantial while the threat in the Strait of Hormuz remains severe.

Many ships have come under attack in the past week, which highlights the increasing risks to the lives of seafarers as well as the threat to commercial vessels operating in West Asia.

On August 17, 2026, a cargo vessel called Lutuf was hijacked by 8 pirates off Somalia. Piracy has resurged after vessels have been forced to take the longer routes around Africa due to the fear of attacks in the Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Yesterday, a bulk carrier also came under attack while it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz using the route along the coast of Oman. In this incident, a seafarer lost his life.