Following the latest missile attack off Yemen, the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) has called on countries with influence in the Red Sea region to take action to protect mariners’ lives and the ships they sail in from missile attacks from Houthis based in Yemen.
A Norwegian-owned tanker was hit by an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthi movement at 9 pm GMT on 11 December, with a Houthi spokesperson warning that the group would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip.
The CSC expressed its concern over Houthi movement attacks on commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait and backed the IMO’s call for action in the region to protect shipping saying the attacks by the Houthi movement pose a serious threat to international shipping, breach international law and are a serious threat to seafarer safety.
On Saturday (9 December), a Houthi spokesperson warned that the movement will target any ship that is heading for an Israeli port regardless of which flag it is flying.
“If Gaza does not receive the food and medicines it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces,” a Houthi spokesperson said.
A 20-mile entrance to the Red Sea, which leads to the Suez Canal from the Indian Ocean, between Yemen, Eritrea and Djibouti known as the Bab al-Mandeb or the gate of tears due to historical navigational dangers, has become the focus of Houthi drones and missile attacks on commercial shipping.
According to the maritime consultancy Alphaliner, Houthi Rebel attacks on vessels transitting the Red Sea have led some operators to re-route container ships to the much longer but safer route around Africa’s Cape Horn.
“Recent acts of violence ranged from boarding the vessel at sea and taking the crew hostage to land-based drone strikes against transiting merchant ships,” said the consultant.
The company confirmed that the majority of attacks have taken place in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and that up to 4 December, 12 container vessels had been diverted from the Red Sea Route to the Cape of Good Hope, with another six ships expected to also divert to Cape Horn.
“This mainly concerns vessels on Asia – Europe & Med services. Among the vessels that have already started their diversion are three units of 4,250 TEU, three ships of 5,000 – 6,000 TEU, four vessels of 15,000 TEU and one unit of 19,000 TEU,” said Alphaliner.
Travelling at 18 knots via the horn of Africa diverting a Shanghai – Barcelona voyage will increase the journey time from 21 to 32 days. And Shanghai – Rotterdam travel increases from 25 to 33 days.
Unlike Cape diversions at times of low demand, which are mainly aimed at economising on Suez Canal fees, on eastbound services, current re-routing plans will affect both east and westbound voyages.
So far, it remains to be seen whether carriers will deploy additional tonnage to compensate for the longer trips via the Cape, or whether shipping lines will simply skip some departures.
Originally Houthi vessel attacks were aimed at ships linked to Israeli companies, but the movement has now widened its potential targets to any vessels calling at Israeli ports.
Mary Ann Evans
Correspondent at Large
