A second commercial ship was struck by a missile in the Red Sea in the space of 24 hours and Shell Plc halted oil tanker transits through the waterway as Houthi militants retaliated against U.S. and UK airstrikes in Yemen.

The Greek-owned bulk carrier Zografia was struck about 76 miles northwest of Al-Saleef in Yemen, according to Ambrey Analytics. On Monday, another commodity carrier, the US-owned Gibraltar Eagle, was struck in the Gulf of Aden.

Since Friday, the U.S. Navy has advised vessels to stay away from the southern Red Sea, effectively closing off the Suez Canal for those who follow the guidance. The move prompted a fresh round of trade disruption as everything from containers to oil and gas carriers embark on a detour thousands of miles around the coast of Africa. It’s threatening to snarl and delay supply chains and prompt a new bout of inflation that could hurt the global economy.

Companies that own and operate hundreds of ships have heeded the advice to stay away. The latest is London-headquartered oil major Shell Plc, which suspended shipments amid fears of a further escalation in the conflict, according to the Wall Street Journal. Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., with a fleet of about 800 vessels, also halted transits, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

A spokesman for Shell declined to comment on the Journal’s story.

The British navy said authorities were investigating the latest incident in that area, with a ship taking a hit to its cargo hold. It doesn’t normally identify the vessels that have been attacked.

Houthi rebels have been targeting vessels for weeks, saying it’s in response to Israel’s war with Hamas.

Their spokesman Tuesday criticized decisions by shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea, saying that only Israeli-linked vessels are barred from passage. Yet the Houthis warned Friday — after U.S. and UK airstrikes on the group in Yemen — that commercial vessels from those countries would be considered targets.

While Monday’s attack involved a US-owned vessel, it’s unclear why the Greek-owned carrier was hit. In the past, some ships — notably two carrying Russian oil — appear to have been targeted in error. The Zografia sails under the flag of Malta and has insurance cover with a Norway-based company.

Upon entering the Gulf of Aden, the Zografia turned its satellite tracking signal off, but reconnected after passing through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. It appears to have been struck after that, and then changed course, Ambrey said. The vessel suffered damage to its cargo hold but was able to continue its voyage.

The persistence of the attacks has driven up the cost of insuring ships sailing through the region. War risk rates have climbed 10-fold in the past few weeks to about 1% of the value of a ship, people familiar with that market said Monday. That means a vessel worth $100 million may have to pay $1 million to sail through the Red Sea.

With assistance from Alaric Nightingale, Mohammed Hatem, Laura Hurst and Shoko Oda.

previous coverage

• Houthis fire ballistic missile day after US, Britain launch retaliatory strikes in Yemen
• US-Houthi confrontation is a watershed moment for Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’
• Navy ships and aircraft played key role in strikes against Houthis in Yemen