[News Spot] The Red Sea Hit by War Shrapnel

The Red Sea, a major waterway connecting Europe and Asia, has been caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are pro-Iran and support the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, have indiscriminately attacked civilian vessels passing near the Red Sea, threatening global trade.

The Norwegian-flagged tanker "Strinda" was revealed on the 12th (local time). On the same day, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the Strinda, which was passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, with a missile. Strinda's operator J. Ludwig Mowinkel's Rederi provided [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Red Sea is a narrow and long body of water located between the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula. It stretches a total of 2,300 km and connects to the Indian Ocean via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Surrounding countries include Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea.

The name "Red Sea" comes from the frequent reddish hue caused by plankton blooms and cyanobacteria in the water. The Red Sea is characterized by high salinity due to its location in an arid region with high evaporation rates and the absence of perennial rivers, except for intermittent streams called "wadi" in the Arabian drylands. It is also famous for its diverse marine life and over 300 species of coral reefs. The immortal jellyfish, known as the Red Sea jellyfish, is a representative species.

Due to its geographical position connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea has served as a maritime route since ancient Egyptian times. Especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt in 1869, it became a major maritime trade route linking Asia and Europe. The Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is the world's largest canal built at the Suez Isthmus, the boundary between the continents of Asia and Africa. Approximately 30% of the world's maritime container traffic and 12% of total goods trade pass through this canal.

The Houthi rebels announced on the 19th of last month that they would attack ships heading to Israel in the waters near the Red Sea in response to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. They subsequently seized the British-flagged vessel Galaxy Leader, which is currently detained at the port of Hodeidah controlled by the Houthis. On the 3rd, the Houthis also attacked a U.S. military vessel and three commercial ships.

As tensions rise in the region due to the Houthi attacks, related countries including the United States and South Korea are seeking countermeasures. South Korea's largest container shipping company, HMM, on the 15th instructed the ultra-large container ship HMM Dublin, carrying 24,000 TEU (1 TEU equals one 20-foot container) and passing through the Red Sea, to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa instead of the Suez Canal. Earlier, Maersk, the world's second-largest shipping company based in Denmark, issued a directive to temporarily suspend navigation for all vessels scheduled to pass through the Suez Canal and the waters off Yemen, advising them to use the detour route around the Cape of Good Hope.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.