Houthis resume attacks on shipping

After a break of more than two weeks, the Houthis from Yemen struck back at ships yesterday. 

The militants took aim at the Maersk Yorktown and an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, as well as firing at the MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean. There were no reports of any of attacks actually striking ships with US Central Command saying it took out one anti-ship ballistic missile and four drones fired by the Houthis yesterday.

“The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent Israeli navigation or any navigation heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arabian Seas, as well as in the Indian Ocean,” a spokesperson for the Houthis said in a televised address yesterday.

Meanwhile, the attempts at merchant shipping continued today with a Greek military vessel serving in the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea intercepting two drones. 

Since November last year, the Houthis – backed by Iranian intelligence and hardware – have targeted more than 80 merchant ships, leading to a massive rerouting of marine traffic from Asia to Europe. 

Shipping traffic through the Suez Canal has plunged by 66%, according to new data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), covering the period from mid-December to the beginning of April. The increase in ton-miles by diverting around the Cape of Good Hope has resulted in the global fleet now ballasting 0.25 knots faster, according to Jefferies, an investment bank.