Tugboats are seen near a ship in the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, Yemen.

:: Strategic sea trade routes near Yemen have come under increasing threats after Houthi militias attacked an oil tanker on Wednesday in the latest flare-up in an area through which much of the world’s oil passes.

Al Arabiya correspondent reported that militias fired rocket-propelled grenades at the tanker before breaking off their assault on the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT MUSKIE in the southern Bab al-Mandab Strait. The tanker is 70,362 tons deadweight.

The EU Naval Force said in a statement that the attack did not appear to have been launched by pirates and was likely related to “continuing instability at sea off the coast of Yemen.”

Vessels near Yemen’s southern coast have been attacked in recent months by Houthi militants.

Nearly four million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the United States and Asia via the Bab al-Mandab, as well as other commercial goods.