A CONTAINER ship has been abandoned in the Red Sea after an explosion sparked a fire that reportedly ripped through its containers.
The Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia, which is operated by Asean Seas Line according to Equasis, was transiting the Red Sea from Jebel Ali to its destination port of Jeddah, when the explosion occurred.
The crew of 22 Chinese nationals subsequently abandoned the vessel and are reported to have all been safely rescued by another passing vessel. ASL Bauhinia reportedly remains ablaze and drifting.
It is currently unconfirmed exactly what caused the incident, which occurred 226 kilometres from the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which is currently under the control of the Houthi militant group.
The Houthis recently announced they would limit their attacks on commercial shipping to Israeli-owned and flagged vessels only, which the group says are subject to bans on transiting the Red Sea, as well as Bab el Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Gulf.
Overseas media has reported that in this case, the explosion aboard ASL Bauhinia is thought to have been caused by a container onboard and not by Houthi militants.
The 24,727 dwt vessel was built in China in 2022 and reportedly entered service in October of that year.
