Two suspicious maritime incidents have been reported in the Southern Red Sea in the past two weeks. One incident occurred in the vicinity of position 14-46.00N, 041-58.00E on January 6, 2018 as three separate merchant vessels were approached by three small boats, each with up to six armed men aboard. The second incident occurred in the vicinity of 12-31.00N, 043-29.10E on January 9, 2018 as a merchant vessel was approached by two small boats, each with five men aboard. Exercise caution when transiting this area. Further updates may follow as new information is obtained. Additional details may be found at: https://www.ukmto.org/indian-ocean/recent-incidents. This alert will automatically expire on January 25, 2018. Any general inquiries regarding UKMTO reporting and support should be directed to UKMTO at: https://www.ukmto.org/indian-ocean/contacts. Additionally, U.S. flagged commercial vessels transiting this area should make contact with the U.S. Fifth Fleet Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) Detachment via the Fifth Fleet Battle Watch Captain at phone: +011 973 1785 3879 or email: cusnc.bwc@me.navy.mil.