A merchant vessel has successfully defended against an armed approach by multiple small craft about 15 nautical miles west of Yemen, in the latest security incident as shipping lines cautiously eye a return to Red Sea and Suez Canal routes. According to UKMTO, roughly 15 small boats closed to within 1–2 cables before an exchange of fire, after which the craft withdrew and the vessel continued its voyage with all crew safe and on high alert. UKMTO later classified the event as suspicious activity and urged ships to transit with caution and report anything unusual. The incident follows a December 5 assault in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait on the bulk carrier Bobic, which faced two coordinated attacks involving small boats and a suspected mothership, both repelled by its Armed Security Team, while nearby vessel Globe Aliki observed but was not targeted. The attacks come amid early signs of recovery in Red Sea traffic, with Suez Canal transits and tonnage in November rising over the same month in 2024, even as maritime security experts stress that regional risks remain suppressed rather than resolved.