Israel-Hamas war: the entrance to the Red Sea, a new cut-throat for commercial ships

The involvement of the Houthi rebels in the conflict between Israel and Hamas has reached a new level. In the first days following the October 7 attack, the Yemeni militia, backed by Iran and still at war with its country's government forces, was content to target southern Israel with drones. and missiles. These attacks were then presented as retaliation for the intense IDF bombings in the Gaza Strip. Since the middle of November, the Houthis have changed their method and considerably broadened the scope of their targets as well as the means used.

Now, the Shiite militia is targeting cargo ships transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen and Djibouti, endangering maritime traffic in this highly strategic area. It all started on November 19, when a Houthi commando boarded and stormed the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, which belongs to a British company. Since then, at least 18 other acts of piracy have been recorded as of December 18. The Yemeni rebels, who with Hamas and Hezbollah form the “axis of resistance” against the Hebrew state, are thus trying to make Western countries pay for their support of Israel.

Most of the Houthi drones or missiles fired at merchant ships were intercepted by Western warships positioned in the area. But some cargo ships were not so lucky. This Monday, December 18, the tanker M/V Swan Atlantic, flying the Norwegian flag, was attacked by “an unidentified object” coming from Yemen, according to its owner, Inventor Chemical Tankers. Friday, December 15, a container ship from the world leader in maritime transport MSC, the Palatium III, was hit by a ballistic missile attack claimed by the Houthis. A similar ship from the German shipowner Hapag-Lloyd, the Al Jasrah, was damaged the same day.

On Monday, December 11, the Norwegian-flagged chemical tanker Strinda was also hit by an anti-ship cruise missile, causing a fire on board. On November 26, the tanker Central Park, flying the Liberian flag, was boarded by Houthi pirates before the latter were arrested by the American navy.

As an immediate consequence of these incidents, the vast majority of maritime carriers chose to be cautious, temporarily abandoning the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This is notably the case of the Italian-Swiss MSC, the Danish Maersk, the German Hapag Lloyd and the French CMA CGM. Until further notice, the ships of these shipowners are forced to detour several thousand kilometers, via the Cape of Good Hope, in the south of Africa. Freight costs therefore jump mechanically, and travel time is extended by at least 10 to 15 days.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is one of the busiest in the world. 40% of maritime trade passes through this corridor, barely 30 kilometers wide, before taking the Suez Canal to reach the Mediterranean and therefore Europe. Around 20,000 ships loaded with manufactured products, but especially hydrocarbons, pass through this route each year. Since the Houthis began their attacks, the Western military presence has increased considerably in the area.

At the beginning of November, the American aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower crossed the Suez Canal to cruise in the waters of the Red Sea, accompanied by its escort, notably composed of the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the destroyers USS Mason, USS Gravely and USS Carney. The latter shot down no less than 14 drones launched from areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis on Saturday, December 16. The United Kingdom also sent the frigates HMS Lancaster and HMS Diamond and Spain, the frigate Victoria.

France, for its part, deployed the multi-mission frigate (FREMM) Languedoc. On December 10, the general staff indicated that this ship had shot down “two drones which were heading straight towards it from the coast of Yemen”. This is the first time that a French military building has been targeted by the Houthis since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Traveling to Tel Aviv on December 17, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna indicated that these attacks in the Red Sea “cannot go unanswered.” “We are studying several” defensive “options with our partners,” she said. During a trip to the Middle East this week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could also announce the formation of a coalition against the Houthis, to strengthen maritime security in the region, according to the specialist blog The War Zone.