A tanker and a general cargoship have been involved in security incidents off Yemen, security consultancies reported.
Barhoum Maritime's 7,200-dwt cargo vessel Hasan (built 1991) was attacked late at night by two small craft, 33 nautical miles (61 km) south of Nishtun.
At the time of the incident on Friday, the ship was underway at about 11 knots eastbound from Aden and displaying its destination as Salalah, Oman, Ambrey said.
The crew sent a distress call on Channel 16, which was relayed by another vessel to EU Navfor forces.
The vessel was later reported to be safe and heading east.
Linked to civil war
This was the fourth attack in the eastern Gulf of Aden this year.
Dryad Global said: "Analysis of previous incident data suggests a number of incidents occurring in the vicinity of the eastern Gulf of Aden that are likely connected to the war in Yemen.
"Two previous attacks occurring 97 nautical miles and 208 nautical miles from this location have represented the only two significant compromises to vessel and crew safety within the Gulf of Aden in 2020," the security company added.
Nishtun has long been a key Saudi Arabian asset.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition continues to operate from there, with naval assets often docking for operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The port is an important mid-point between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, with oil pipelines running through there to Saudi Arabia.
"It is likely that as the Yemeni civil war progresses, Nishtun will continue to be a target of attacks by Houthi militia networks," Dryad said.
Tanker approached
On Saturday, Hansa Tankers' 20,000-dwt handysize Mid Nature (built 2011) was approached by multiple skiffs whilst eastbound in the international recommended transit corridor, 51 nautical miles south of Aden.
A total of 15 skiffs were reported to have approached from the port side at speeds of 18 to 20 knots, closing to 1 nautical mile.
At the time of the incident, the handysize tanker was underway at 11.2 knots and was observed deviating course, Ambrey reported.
Armed security guards on board displayed their weapons, prompting the skiffs to depart.
"There have been several subsequent sightings of small concentrations of skiffs by eastbound traffic," the company added.
