A US Naval destroyer shot down a drone and a missile in the Southern Red Sea in the 22nd attack targeting international shipping in the last two months, the US military said on Friday.

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No ships were damaged or crew injured in the attacks as the US-led naval operation seeks to build confidence among commercial operators to return to the Suez Canal route despite the ongoing attacks.

The attacks, between 6pm and 10pm local time on Thursday, were seen by some of the 18 ships in the area at the time, according to security reports.

A Kuwaiti-flagged tanker spotted the drone about 500m away while sailing northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, according to the Diaplous Group.

Shipowners remain divided over whether they should return to shipping operations through the Suez Canal despite the naval force, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, in place and running a “highway patrol” to protect vessels.

Container shipper Kuehne+Nagel said that it had identified 319 container ships affected by the attacks in the Red Sea since 1 December, covering boats attacked, forced to divert or delayed while owners and charterers assessed events.

The total capacity of the ships was estimated at 4.4m teu, which would represent about 16% of container ship capacity, according to Clarksons data.

The US has previously built up its naval assets in the region but said on 21 December it was not sending additional ships.

The US said it is backed by 20 nations but not all nations have come forward to acknowledge their contributions.

Some European countries have distanced themselves from the operation amid fears of a backlash because of Israel’s harsh military operation that has left thousands dead in Gaza. But many European and Gulf countries are already part of some US-led military groups in the region including the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

The US-led operation prompted Maersk to change its policy to resume shipping operations through the Suez Canal.

It released schedules of its planned voyages showing that more than 40 of its container ships leaving after Friday planned to pass through the Suez Canal.

A similar number will divert around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to journeys, the schedules showed.

CMA CGM said on Tuesday that it had sent some of its boxships through the Canal following an “in-depth evaluation of the security landscape”.

It added: “We are currently devising plans for the gradual increase in the number of vessels transiting through the Suez Canal.”

But Hapag-Lloyd said it would continue sending its vessels around the Cape of Good Hope because of the security situation. Other companies like Taiwan’s Evergreen, tanker giant Frontline and South Korea’s HMM have also said they would also avoid the Suez Canal.

Shipowners sending vessels through the Red Sea have taken their own precautions to flag that there are armed guards aboard or have no connection with Israel, according to ship tracking data. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have said they are attacking Israel-linked vessels but others with no links to the country have also been targeted.

Ship tracking site TankerTrackers.com said that it had identified three ships — including a Greek tanker and a Chinese container ship — broadcasting via AIS that the vessel had “no contact Israel” in an attempt to deflect attacks.

Security experts say that Iran has a “spy ship” stationed in the Red Sea that is gathering intelligence for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb strait that controls access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Dryad Global said that the Behshad, listed as a cargo ship, may have played a role in the seizure of the car carrier, the 5,100-ceu Galaxy Leader (built 2002), in November.

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