deck cargo ship Tihamah... Photo: Social media
In a statement released on Thursday, the ministry said the vessel, TIHAMA, sails under the Tanzanian flag and is owned by a Yemeni national, noting that its operating company, Blue Sea for Management Marine, is managed through its branch in Dubai, UAE.
The ministry further noted that the company is not registered with the Egyptian Chambers of Shipping and has not been issued a licence to operate as a maritime agency by Egypt's Maritime Transport and Logistics Sector.
It also confirmed that the vessel had never previously entered Egyptian ports, was not en route to Egypt, and was not carrying any cargo belonging to Egyptians.
The ministry stressed its ongoing commitment to monitoring all developments related to Egyptian territorial waters and the security and safety of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as the safety and security of Egyptian companies, vessels, and sailors.
It urged all media outlets to obtain accurate information from official sources at the relevant Egyptian authorities.
According to media reports, six people were killed and 10 others injured following strikes on Tuesday on a cargo vessel near the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's coast. However, the Yemeni transport ministry put the death toll lower, reporting that four people had been killed.
The Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that it was carrying Saudi military equipment, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
The assault is the latest in a series of deadly strikes against commercial shipping near the entrance to the Red Sea, following the group's announcement of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on 20 July.
The incident comes after a years-long truce in Yemen's civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government collapsed last month as fighting flared between Iran and the United States.
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