The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday that the crude oil tanker Delta Blue had been attacked four times in the past 24 hours off the Yemeni port of Mokha, and the company that operates the tanker said it and its crew were safe.

This comes at a time when the Houthis have been launching attacks on shipping routes near Yemen since November in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The ship's captain reported on Thursday that two small boats fired a rocket-propelled grenade that exploded near the Liberian-flagged tanker about 45 nautical miles south of the port of Mokha.

The authority said that each boat had four people on board, noting that another missile exploded hours later near the tanker.

Asked about the incident, Athens-based Delta Tankers, which operates the tanker, said the crew and the ship were fine, adding that the vessel was continuing its journey.

The US Central Command said that its forces struck targets in areas of Yemen under Houthi control, destroying two Houthi drones, a ground control station, and three anti-ship cruise missiles.

Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked another Greek-owned container ship in the Red Sea and two US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden.