A fire erupted onboard a merchant vessel 98 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden after being hit by two unknown projectiles, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Thursday.

Separately, British maritime security firm Ambrey has said a vessel issued a distress call reporting the impact of a missile about 129 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden while on route from Malaysia to Venice in Italy.

Ambrey said it assessed the vessel to be aligned with "the Houthi target profile."