The UK navy said on Saturday that a merchant vessel was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden hours, after reporting a small explosion close to the same ship and attributed to the Houthi militia in Yemen. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which is part of Britain’s Royal Navy, said in a statement that the “Company Security Officer reports that the vessel was hit by a missile. No fires, water ingress or oil leaks have been observed.” The statement went on to say that the merchant vessel was proceeding to next port of call. The incident happened at 1757 GMT some 125 …