DUBAI, June 27, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A merchant ship reported being hit by a projectile while off Yemen's coast en route to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a British maritime security agency said.

"A merchant vessel reported having been 'hit' by a projectile" west of Yemen's port city of Hodeida, Ambrey said, adding that there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

"The vessel was transiting south along the Red Sea when she issued a distress call," Ambrey said. The ship was heading to the Saudi port city of Dammam.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have targeted dozens of ships since November in a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.

Earlier this week a missile hit in "close proximity" to a vessel transiting south of the Yemeni port city of Aden, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The ship proceeded on its journey with no reports of injuries or damage, said the maritime agency run by Britain's Royal Navy.

The Joint Maritime Information Center identified the vessel as the Saint Kitts- and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier Lila Lisbon.

"The vessel was not hit and all crew on board are safe," said the agency overseen by the US Navy.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from Huthi attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

Since January the United States and Britain have also launched repeated strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the ship attacks.

On Thursday, US military forces destroyed one Huthi radar site in a rebel-run part of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media platform X.