Houthis from the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah claimed responsibility for the attack on the Hangzhou container ship, owned by the Danish company Maersk.

"The Yemeni naval forces managed to carry out an operation against Maersk’s Hangzhou container ship, which was heading to one of the ports of occupied Palestine and was attacked by anti-ship missiles," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Al Masirah TV channel.

The Houthis attacked the ship after its crew refused to "respond to warnings," the Ansar Allah spokesman said. He also stressed that members of the movement will continue to attack ships heading to Israel.

Earlier on Sunday, the US Central Command reported that a container ship run by the Danish shipping company Maersk was been struck by a missile in the southern part of the Red Sea.