A vessel travelling 50 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's city of Aden reported on Friday two explosions in the sea ahead of it, but the ship was not struck or damaged and the crew is safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has launched drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November.

Citing the vessel master, UKMTO said the ship targeted in the attack was proceeding to its next port of call.

Iran is currently at the helm of a regional proxy war which has seen its militias come out in support of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in a war which has escalated to draw in international players including the US and UK. Particularly worrisome are attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants, armed and supported by Tehran, who have unleashed deadly drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

In a joint operation with Britain in February, the United States initiated dozens of strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria as well as its Yemeni proxy, the Houthis.

The Houthis are currently blockading the Red Sea in a bid to force Israel into a ceasefire amidst the war in Gaza against the Iran-backed Hamas militia. Around 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and at least 250 more taken hostage in the October 7 attack.