A British-owned cargo ship carrying 41,000 tons of fertiliser sank in February after it was struck by a missile.

Attacks on ships by the Iran-backed militia also included launching an explosive-laden drone boat attack at the oil tanker Cordelia Moon earlier this month, 70 miles off the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.

The ship, which the Houthis claimed was a British vessel, suffered severe damage.

Attacks by the Iran-backed militia on British ships include launching an explosive-laden drone boat attack at the oil tanker Cordelia Moon earlier this month, 70 miles off the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.

The ship suffered severe damage while a British-owned cargo ship carrying 41,000 tons of fertiliser sank in February after it was struck by a missile.

The rebels have sunk one other ship, and damaged 30, following 100 attacks on vessels, prompting the US and UK to carry out a series of strikes on the Houthis in Yemen with the Pentagon saying the response was necessary “to protect freedom of navigation”.

Last week the US used B-2 stealth bombers for the first time against the rebels, targeting five underground storage sites.