Following an explosion and fire onboard the container ship, ASL Bauhinia, in the Red Sea early Tuesday morning, the 22 crew abandoned the ship. The crew was subsequently rescued unharmed by a passing vessel. 

The 1,930-teu containership, owned by Shanghai-based Asean Seas Line and operated by Emirates Shipping Lines, was deployed between Jebel Ali and Aqaba. The ship was supposed to reach Aqaba on January 31 and stop in Jeddah on January 29.

What caused the explosion and fire? Thus far, the consensus is that the conflagration on the 2022-built vessel was likely caused by hazardous cargo rather than by a drone or missile attack by Houthi rebels, which have promised to honor the Gaza ceasefire. Though the vessel caught fire in an area where the Houthi have been wreaking havoc on commercial shipping since November 2023, there is currently no indication of their involvement in the incident.

According to the Diaplous Group, the container ship is currently located approximately 140 miles off the coast of Hodeida, Yemen. The vessel is ablaze and drifting.