Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea have abandoned the vessel as it took on water.

A freight ship was at risk of sinking in the Red Sea on Monday after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked it with gunfire, rockets and remote-controlled explosive-laden boats, in their first known attack on the high seas since the start of the year.

Houthi attacks on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea follow Israeli strikes on Yemen's ports, heightening regional tensions.