Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea led to a 90% decline in container shipping through the area between December and February, US intelligence officials said in their first formal assessment of the rebel campaign’s economic impact.
The attacks affected at least 65 countries and forced at least 29 major energy and shipping companies to alter their routes, according to the rare public assessment by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency.
Ship on fire near Yemen after second attack in as many days
A small cargo ship was on fire after being hit by two projectiles while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, marking the second significant incident in two days and a fresh ramp-up of attacks.
The attack on the Verbena happened about 158km east of Aden in Yemen and damage control efforts were under way, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, which coordinates liaison between the military and commercial shipping. One person was injured. A second ship, the Seaguardian, also came under attack inside the Red Sea.
The Verbena veered across the Gulf of Aden earlier on Thursday, but was continuing to sail, ship tracking compiled by Bloomberg showed. There were no signals from the Seaguardian at the time it was attacked, suggesting the vessel may have turned off its location transponder while passing the Yemeni coast.
Yemen’s Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have been a regular occurrence since the end of last year and have caused a reduction in traffic of about 70% compared with the start of December. The group has targeted vessels in what it says is a response to the Israel-Hamas war.
On Wednesday, a commodity carrier called Tutor suffered severe flooding in its engine room following the first successful attack from a seaborne drone during the current campaign by the Houthis.
The owners of the Tutor and Verbena didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Red Sea attacks drove 90% decline in container shipping, say US spies
Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea led to a 90% decline in container shipping through the area between December and February, US intelligence officials said in their first formal assessment of the rebel campaign’s economic impact.
The attacks affected at least 65 countries and forced at least 29 major energy and shipping companies to alter their routes, according to the rare public assessment by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency. Alternate shipping routes around Africa added around 11,000 nautical miles to each journey, increasing fuel costs by about $1-million for each voyage.
“Threats to Red Sea transits are compounding ongoing stress to global maritime shipping caused by interruptions at the Panama Canal due to drought,” the Defense Intelligence Agency said.
Read more: US upping pressure on Houthis in threat to Yemen-war truce
The US and the UK have launched repeated airstrikes on the Yemen-based Houthis in a bid to curtail their ability to target ships in the region, while also looking to block their revenue sources and impose other financial sanctions. So far, though, the group has been undeterred and the economic fallout has only continued to widen. DM
Read more in Daily Maverick: Middle East Crisis news hub