Recent drone and rocket attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants on merchant ships in the Red Sea are disrupting global maritime trade. Freight firms are forced to reroute through Africa, an unexpected consequence of the two-month-old Israel-Hamas war, which is rapidly escalating into a wider conflict with both regional and global ripple effects
Image: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
A file photo of Houthi militants' helicopter hovering over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship it seized in the Red Sea on November 20, 2023. Recently, an India-bound Gabon-flagged crude carrier, MV Sai Baba, with 25 Indians onboard, came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea. Hours before this attack, a Liberia-flagged chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indians onboard, was reported on fire after being hit by a rocket 'fired from Iran' according to the Pentagon. It was the first time the Pentagon has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel's war on the militant group Hamas, which Tehran backs. Indian Navy sent its guided-missile destroyers to assess the situation and provide assistance.
Image: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
A file photo of armed Houthi fighters upon landing on a ship's deck it seized in the Red Sea in late November. The Iran-backed Houthi militia, who control much of Yemen, has disrupted world trade for weeks with attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Bab-al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, claiming solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel in Gaza. Despite Houthi's claim, the targets have included ships not headed to or affiliated with Israel. The US announced a multinational maritime security initiative in the Red Sea in response to an attack on vessels by Houthis.
Image: Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Red Sea waterway is the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia. The global economy relies on the sea and shipping as ever, accounting for around 80 percent of global trade. About 30 percent of the world's shipping traffic passes through the Red Sea, a key waterway between Egypt's Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandab, a strait between Yemen and Djibouti where most attacks occur.