A member of the Huthi-affiliated security forces stands guard on a vehicle bearing the Palestinian flag during a march in solidarity with the people of Gaza on November 24, 2023, in the capital Sanaa. AFP
Ambrey said that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park vessel owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, it said.
Communications from a US coalition warship had been intercepted warning the Central Park to disregard the messages, Ambrey added.
The boarding took place offshore from the Yemeni port city of Aden, with another vessel in the area reporting "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms", Ambrey said.
It comes after a US defence official claimed an Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in a suspected Iranian drone attack in the Indian Ocean on Friday, and a week after the Huthis seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.
The Huthis, declaring themselves part of the "axis of resistance", have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since it launched a war on Gaza.
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