Red Sea Houthi Rebel Attacks Decrease but Shipping Companies Continue Rerouting

Hesitation After US-UK Multinational Forces' Attack
Shipping Companies' Concerns Persist

Attacks on civilian vessels by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have decreased following airstrikes by a multinational fleet, but ships are still reportedly rerouting to avoid the Red Sea.

On the 12th (local time), major foreign media reported that shipping companies are not passing through the Red Sea route due to the Houthi rebel threat not being completely eliminated despite attacks by US and British forces.

British destroyer conducting operations against Houthi rebels in the Red Sea
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Houthi rebels have been attacking civilian vessels passing through the Red Sea since November last year, under the pretext of supporting Hamas in the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. In response, the US formed a multinational fleet and launched airstrikes on key Houthi facilities in Yemen starting from the 12th of last month.

According to reports, attacks on civilian vessels by the Houthi rebels have decreased after the multinational fleet's airstrikes. Since the 26th of last month, there have been only four notable attacks. Grant Shapps, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, recently stated in the British House of Commons that following the bombing of Houthi facilities, Houthi attacks have become less sophisticated and sporadic.

However, many shipping companies still choose routes around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa instead of the shorter route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

According to the British shipping service company Clarkson, the number of container ships arriving at the Gulf of Aden, connecting the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, during the week ending on the 5th, decreased by 92% compared to the average in the first half of December last year. During the same period, the number of car carrier ships dropped by 91%, and the total navigation volume passing through the area fell by 73%. This shows that despite the reduction in Houthi attacks following the multinational fleet airstrikes, ships are not returning to the Red Sea. Although the frequency of Houthi attacks has decreased, it is interpreted that the Red Sea route is still considered dangerous.

John Gahagan, chairman of marine safety and risk analysis firm Sedna Global, said that while the multinational fleet's airstrikes appear to have reduced the Houthis' capability to carry out frequent attacks, threats to maritime transport remain. He also added that the recent decrease in attacks was partly influenced by a reduction in the passage of vessels related to the US, UK, and Israel through Yemeni waters.

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