A freighter was damaged in an attack on Wednesday off the southern coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, an incident that has all the markings of the Iran-supported Houthi rebels.

The serious incident was reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) service.

The vessel was identified as a Barbados-flagged cargo vessel “True Confidence”, owned by US interests and managed by a Cypriot company.

A shipping source said three sailors were missing and four crewmembers sustained serious burns in the attack, reportedly carried out with an anti-ship missile.

According to UK insurer Ambrey, an Indian Navy warship was sailing in close proximity to the last known position of the vessel while further search and rescue operations are underway. The rest of the crew abandoned the vessel in lifeboats.