Drone Sighting- Red Sea

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Incident Details

Incident Date & Time:

16 April 2025; 1900hrs

Location:

Red Sea, 97NM Northwest of Yanbu

Latitude/Longitude: 

24° 36' 0.00" N, 36° 13' 60.00" E

Vessel Name, Type, Flag & Status

Unknown, Passenger Ship, Wallis and Futuna, Underway

Incident Type:

Drone Sighting

Crew status

No injuries reported

Incident Details

Description

On April 16, 2025, at approximately 1900hrs UTC, a Wallis and Futuna-flagged Passenger Ship reported being approached by four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) approximately 97NM Northwest of Yanbu in the Red Sea. At 2100hrs UTC, the vessel reported being surrounded by five UAVs: two on the port side, one in front of the bow, and two on the starboard side. The UAVs departed without incident, leaving the crew and vessel unharmed. Authorities later confirmed that the UAVs were US surveillance drones.

Response Actions

- Military Incident

Stolen items

- None

Key findings

This incident highlights the increasing use of UAVs for maritime surveillance in strategic waterways. The deployment of multiple drones in a coordinated pattern around the vessel suggests a sophisticated operation, likely aimed at gathering intelligence or monitoring maritime traffic. The fact that US authorities confirmed their ownership of the drones indicates a level of transparency, possibly to prevent misunderstandings or escalation. The incident also demonstrates the potential for such operations to cause concern among commercial vessels, even when conducted by allied forces, as the initial report came from the ship itself before official clarification was provided.

Recommendations

- Maintain clear communication with maritime authorities when encountering unidentified UAVs

-  Document and report all UAV encounters, including time, location, and behavior

- Familiarize crew with appearance and typical behavior of surveillance drones to reduce anxiety during encounters

Disclaimer
You have received this report as part of your organisation’s subscription. Castor Vali assessment and advice is given based on the information received and processed by us and the surrounding circumstances known to us to exist at the time. Subsequent changes to relevant information or the surrounding circumstances may affect the reliability of our assessment and advice, but we do not accept responsibility for that effect. We do not accept responsibility for the outcome of any action taken or not taken as a result of our assessment and advice unless the possibility of that action being taken or not taken is set out in specific terms in our instructions.

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