A ship has caught fire in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen after being struck by a projectile, the British military say, with one report suggesting its crew was preparing to abandon the vessel.

The incident comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels have been attacking ships through the Red Sea corridor. The rebels have not immediately claimed this attack, though it can take them hours or even days to do so.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre issued an alert about the vessel, describing the incident as taking place some 210km east of Aden.

"A vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting with a fire," the UKMTO said.

"Authorities are investigating."

The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as a Cameroon-flagged tanker that was "en route from Soh

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