The Houthi movement has issued explicit warnings to shipping companies over their use of Israeli ports, raising concerns about maritime security on one of the world’s most critical trade routes.
Since October 2023, the Iran-backed Yemeni group has targeted commercial and naval vessels on shipping routes linked to Israel, in retaliation for the country’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. The attacks, which included seizures and aerial bombardments against U.S. and British ships, as well as those of other European countries, disrupted supply chains and led to a decline in maritime transit through the Red Sea.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that shipping companies had started receiving threatening emails from the group, warning that their ships would be targeted for docking at an Israeli port. Senior executives and directors of the unnamed company were told they had violated a transit ban imposed by the Houthis and would be “directly targeted by Yemeni armed forces in any area they deem appropriate “.
The ban, imposed by the rebels at the end of 2023, plans to attack any Israeli, American or British ship transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden or the Sea of Oman. These critical lanes are frequently used by American and British ships and are considered a vital artery for global trade, providing the quickest route for the movement of goods between Europe and Asia.
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In a recent incident, suspected Houthi militants launched an explosive-laden drone at a Panamanian oil tanker 70 miles from the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, which was followed by a missile strike on another vessel, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center.
The latest threats, which Reuters reported were part of an email campaign targeting several Greek shipping companies since May, threatened “sanctions” against the company, which was told it would “take responsibility and consequences » of violation of the ban.
“You bear responsibility and consequences for placing the vessel on the prohibited list,” added the email, signed by the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, a Yemen-based organization established in February to ensure the safety of maritime operators in the region.
Richard Meade is editor of Lloyd’s List, which has been monitoring Houthi attacks since November 2023, and spoke with News week on the current impact on commercial shipping routes.
Greek ships have been a key target, accounting for around 30 percent of attacks since November, which Meade said was due to their significant representation in the global fleet.
With more than 100 such attacks carried out in the past year, Meade said overall traffic in the Red Sea had fallen by more than 62 percent since November, with many bulk carriers, tankers and various cargo ships forced to reorient around the southern tip of Africa to avoid Houthi ambushes.
He added that the reduction of targets in the Red Sea, as well as the difficulty of determining the exact affiliation of a ship, had led the Houthis to broaden their targeting criteria beyond Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“With fewer ships using this route, the Houthis have fewer opportunities to target them,” Meade said, compared to the early days of their campaign, when targeting ships in the Red Sea could be compared to “shooting at fish in a barrel.” “.
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