The captain of the Panamanian-flagged Isa Star issued a distress signal on the morning of 5 December after an explosion in the engine room. The incident took place while the ship was navigating through the Red Sea. Sources from the European military mission Aspide confirmed the incident, noting that all crew members were rescued and transported to Djibouti. The explosion led to the flooding of the engine room, rendering the vessel uncontrollable. The incident occurred 100 miles from the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, an area often subjected to Houthi attacks. However, Reuters reported that an unnamed maritime security source indicated the explosion took place internally, suggesting it was not caused by a missile or drone attack. The vessel had left the Saudi port of Jeddah on 3 December and was scheduled to arrive in Batam, Indonesia, on 20 December.
