Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The first attack was carried out by two small craft that fired a rocket-propelled grenade which exploded near Delta Blue, 83km south of Yemen’s Mokha, UKMTO said.

Hours later, another missile exploded in close proximity to the tanker, UKMTO said.

The Liberia-flagged Delta Blue and its crew were safe, and the ship was proceeding to its next port of call, UKMTO said.

Athens-based Delta Tankers manages the vessel, according to LSEG data. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two small boats, white and black in colour, each had four people on board who were wearing what the agency said were white and yellow raincoats.

The Houthi attacks have drawn US and British retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.