Following a period of relative calm amid an ongoing 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-supported Hezbollah, strained by reports of violations, Yemen’s Islamic militia, also armed by Iran, appears to be reigniting hostilities in the waterway south of the Suez Canal.
Coming almost two weeks after the first anniversary of the brazen sea hijacking by Houthi rebels of the Galaxy Leader pure-car truck carrier last November 19, the rebels attacked two US naval ships and three American-flagged merchant vessels.
The Houthis claim 16 ballistic missiles were fired at the USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane, but the EU Navy destroyers “successfully engaged and defeated” the attack, reports say.
Three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three air drones, and one anti-ship cruise missile were all apparently intercepted and destroyed.
The maritime ships that came under fire are the Stena Impeccable, a tanker, the 2 500-TEU Maersk Saratoga, and a supramax bulker, the Liberty Grace.
The most recent attack brought to 120 the number of commercial vessels targeted by the Houthis, mainly off the Red Sea coast of Yemen, but also along the country’s Gulf of Aden coastline.
It means that for the second year running, the liner trade faces extreme risk sailing south of the Suez Canal, resulting in sustained, much longer and far costlier round-the-Cape sailing for east-west sea freight.
Mark Williams of UK maritime trade consultancy, Shipping Strategy, said: “One must assume that the Red Sea continues to be a no-go zone indefinitely for many operators. Western military navies have not prevented the attacks; Western air bombardments have not ended them.”
