An explosion struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship Tuesday traveling north through the Red Sea, sparking a major fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel, shipping industry officials said.

An official described the cargo aboard the ASL Bauhinia container ship as ‘dangerous’. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Yemeni terror group warns it will resume attacks on US and UK ships if provoked, says it will only stop attacking Israeli ships when all three phases of ceasefire deal are complete

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Yemen's Houthi rebels signal they will limit attacks in the Red Sea corridor to Israeli-affiliated ships.

A fire aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia on Tuesday was not linked to Houthi attacks, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center said on Wednesday.

An explosion forced the crew of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship to abandon the vessel Tuesday near the coast of Yemen, shipping industry officials said.

British and American ships are tentatively returning to the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to hold off attacks on vessels linked to both nations, a sign that traffic on one of the world’s main trade routes could normalize after more than a year of disruption.