Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board. "All Crew Muslim," read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data.

Rescuers have found four more crew members from the ship Eternity C, which Yemen's Houthi rebels sank in the Red Sea.

The cost of insuring commercial ships that sail past Yemen’s Houthi militants surged after the rebels sank two ships and killed sailors this week, underscoring how the attacks have revived risk in the crucial waterway.

VCG. The sensational claim - initiated by the German government and amplified by some Western media - that a Chinese warship us

Oil prices were steady on Wednesday as investors weighed strong U.S. gasoline demand data and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, while U.S. copper tariffs loomed.