Explosion Incident Involving Container Ship Reported by UKMTO

A missile and explosion near a container ship
Middle East Accidents & Emergencies
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Updated Published

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an explosion at sea involving the container ship Groton on August 3rd. The incident occurred at 1330 UTC, approximately 170 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen.

The captain of the Groton reported that the armed security team onboard observed a small explosion near the vessel. Fortunately, all crew members were safe, and the ship sustained no damage.

Later, at 1757 UTC, while the vessel was 125 nautical miles east of Aden, the UKMTO received another report. This time, the captain indicated that the ship had been struck by an unknown explosive.

The Company Security Officer later clarified that the vessel was hit by a missile. Despite the severity of the situation, no water ingress or fire was reported onboard. The captain confirmed the safety of all crew members, and the vessel continued its journey to the next port of call.

Groton, a container ship built in 2002, sails under the Liberian flag. Marine Traffic data shows that the vessel departed from Fujairah Anchorage on July 31st.