Houthi Issues Another Warning of "Ship Attack off Honghae"... Growing Fear of Logistics Crisis

The Houthi Islamic rebels in Yemen have warned of the possibility of additional attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea, intensifying fears of global logistics disruption.

On the 19th (local time), as the United States gathered a multinational naval force to respond to the increased risk of attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Houthi rebels reiterated their warning that "ships of countries opposing them will be attacked in the Red Sea."

Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a senior Houthi official, said in an interview with Iran's Al-Alam TV that day, "Ships of countries opposing us will be targets of our attacks in the Red Sea," AFP reported.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a video conference with ministers from over 40 countries that day, urging contributions to a multinational fleet to protect civilian ships in the Red Sea shipping lanes. This is interpreted as a response to the Houthi warning. Secretary Austin stated in the video conference, "The reckless attacks by the Houthis are a serious international issue that requires a firm international response."

Earlier, Secretary Austin announced the establishment of the "Operation Prosperity Guardian," an important multinational security initiative focused on Red Sea security. The operation involves the United States, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, and others conducting joint patrols and coordinated responses in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden near Yemen. Foreign media reported that it is uncertain how many additional countries will send warships or patrol aircraft to this operation.

Since declaring on the 14th of last month that they would attack ships associated with Israel, which is at war with Hamas, the Houthis have attacked or threatened at least 10 ships passing through the Red Sea. Among these were ships unrelated to Israel, escalating the crisis in the Red Sea, a key trade route connecting the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal.

As indiscriminate attacks on civilian ships passing through the Red Sea have expanded, global shipping companies and oil firms have decided to suspend navigation in the Red Sea or take detours, causing ongoing logistics disruptions. British Petroleum (BP), the largest oil company in the UK, temporarily suspended operations on the Red Sea route that day, and Maersk, the world's second-largest shipping company, had earlier decided on the 15th to halt transport through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea.

Swiss MSC, French CMA CGM, and German Hapag-Lloyd also announced they would choose detours around the African continent until complete safety is secured. BP stated in a press release that "due to the deteriorating security situation on the Red Sea route, we have decided to temporarily suspend all transportation passing through the Red Sea route."

The Suez Canal?Red Sea route, a key passage connecting Europe and Asia, handles about 30% of the world's container ship cargo volume and 10?15% of bulk cargo volume such as crude oil and natural gas. With this route paralyzed by threats from the Houthi rebels, it is expected that logistics costs will rise and transportation delays will be inevitable. If ships cannot pass through the Red Sea and must detour around the African continent, transportation time is reported to increase by 15 days to up to a month.

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