In a significant development impacting global maritime commerce, several prominent shipping companies have announced a temporary suspension of their operations through the Red Sea, a critical maritime route, in response to escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group.
This decision comes in the wake of repeated attacks carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which raised serious concerns about the safety and security of the key shipping lane. Industry giant Maersk was the first to advise its fleet on Friday to halt all voyages through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow sea passage near Yemen, which holds immense strategic significance, serving as a major artery for global oil shipments and as a crucial gateway to the Suez Canal.
Maersk cited alarm over the “deteriorating situation” and “serious risks” to the safety of ships and crew. Its decision will likely impact global supply chains, given that the company owns one of the world’s largest container vessel fleets. Other shipping leaders, including Switzerland’s MSC, France’s CMA CGM, and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, quickly followed suit, expressing similar worries over maritime security in the region.
CMA CGM emphasized its concern about its seafarers’ safety in its statement suspending Red Sea operations until further notice. The reactions underscore the industry’s growing anxiety over the Houthi attacks, which targeted some oil tankers these days near Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah. Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, has intensified its maritime aggression against Israel-linked ships, launching over ten attacks on vessels in the region.
The Houthis have openly declared their intent to target all ships en route to Israel, irrespective of their national origin, to show solidarity with Hamas. In addition, the Houthis have issued explicit warnings to international shipping companies, advising against engagement with Israeli ports.
Yemeni experts in maritime security have warned that escalating Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait are threatening international shipping traffic and could spark a wider regional conflict.
Retired General Mohammed Salam Al-Asbahi told Xinhua that the situation in the strategic maritime region has become “very dangerous” due to intensified Houthi military operations targeting ships bound for Israeli ports. Al-Asbahi, a former government commander of Yemen’s Red Sea islands, confirmed that the Houthis have largely bolstered their military presence on islands under their control and deployed military boats across Yemeni and regional waters. He warned that a continuation of attacks could prompt other foreign countries to carry out military operations in Yemeni territorial waters to protect their commercial ships.
“Any large-scale conflict in the maritime region will also cause an increase in the insurance rates for ships coming to Yemen due to the risks facing those ships,” Al-Asbahi told Xinhua. “Maritime agencies may refuse to unload their shipments in Yemeni ports, which may affect the prices of oil, food, basic materials and the already deteriorating Yemeni economy at large.” He criticized the Houthis for utilizing populated coastal areas as bases for these attacks, highlighting the potential danger to Yemeni civilians, as these actions may lead to retaliatory strikes.He anticipated an increase in foreign naval activities in the Red Sea, as countries might seek to secure their commercial vessels from such threats.
Other observers believe the Houthis are attempting to leverage pressure on Israel regarding the Gaza conflict by threatening shipping to Israeli ports. However, Al-Asbahi downplayed the potential impact of the Gaza conflict, suggesting that the consequences would be more acutely felt within Yemen. On Wednesday, the Yemeni government denied joining a newly proposed international maritime coalition led by the United States to protect shipping lines from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. In a clarification carried by the state-run Saba news agency, an unidentified government official refuted “the widespread rumors circulating in media reports about Yemen’s engagement in a new international coalition designed to protect maritime shipping lanes from the threat of Houthi attacks.”
The official said any decision about Yemen joining such coalitions would only be made by the highest authorities in the country, particularly the Presidential Leadership Council. However, he stressed the importance of supporting the Yemeni government’s capabilities to protect its territorial waters and mitigate threats from Houthi rebels. There have been reports by international and local media that Yemen would join a U.S.-led naval coalition against Houthi attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.The Houthis, who have been controlling a major part of northern Yemen and its western coastline along the Red Sea for over nine years, have declared that any vessels aiding Israel will be treated as legitimate targets.
