Jakarta –
Group Houthi in Yemen launched attacks on 50 merchant ships in the Red Sea. This time the attack was launched in two locations, including Southwest Mokha, Yemen and Hodeidah, Yemen.
Quoted from CNBC, Wednesday (10/1/2024), the 50 ships were bombarded with rocket fire and armed drones last Tuesday night. However, there have been no reports of damage to the ship as a result of this attack.
US Ministry of Defense (Pentagon) officials reported that four coalition warships were deployed to the region. Although this attack was supported by Iran, no Iranian warships were involved.
“This is the largest attack on commercial shipping,” said a US Department of Defense (Pentagon) official who declined to be named.
This incident was also the first major attack carried out by the Houthis since the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the US and 13 allied countries. Meanwhile, the global maritime security company, Ambrey, also reported on the incident that the Houthi warship was moving at maximum speed. Ambrey also reported that the tanker crew saw flares or missile tracks in the waters off the coast of Mokha.
This attack is not the first launched by the Houthi group. Previously, the group had also warned of its plans to attack all ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea. This attack was carried out in an effort to support Palestinians.
Israel has launched attacks on Hamas since October 2023, killing more than 20,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health. The attack followed Hamas’ killing of more than 1,000 people in Israel.
Last December, Houthi has also warned that it will not reduce attacks until Gaza, Palestine, receives the food and medicine it needs.
For additional information, attacks Houthi into the Red Sea resulting in the cessation of operations of a number of the largest container ship companies in the world. Ship traffic in the Red Sea will fall by 20% in December 2023 as many shipping companies stop operations or reroute to Cape Town in South Africa.
The shipping companies that stopped their operations were the Danish shipping company Maersk, the Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the French shipping company CMA CGM and the British oil and gas company, British Petroleum.
Rerouting the ship to Cape Town in South Africa would mean adding 10-14 days and 4,000 nautical miles (6,500 kilometers) to the journey. With longer operations, it requires additional fuel costs of around US$ 1 million or Rp. 15.5 billion (exchange rate Rp. 15,500). On the other hand, insurance costs and delivery times also increase.
(shc/ara)
2024-01-10 09:48:01
#Houthis #Bombard #Merchant #Ships #Red #Sea
