In a letter made public today, the Houthi militia in Yemen prohibits the passage of ships in the waters it controls. According to Portal, the group sent the alert directly to shipping companies and insurance companies with links to Israel, the US and Great Britain. In the letter, it prohibits passage through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea if transport is related to Israel. It is the rebel group's first formal letter to the shipping industry.
The text was sent by the Houthi Humanitarian Coordination Center. “The center was established in Sanaa to coordinate the safe and peaceful passage of ships and boats that have no connection with Israel,” a senior member of the Iranian-backed radical Islamic militia told Portal.
In recent weeks, Yemeni rebels have repeatedly fired at merchant and warships in the Red Sea. Numerous container ships therefore avoid the important strait and instead choose a detour around Africa thousands of kilometers long.
Burning merchant ship off the coast of Yemen
A cargo ship was again attacked with missiles off the coast of Yemen today and caught fire. The announcement was made by the British Navy's Merchant Shipping Office (UKMTO). According to reports, the ship was attacked with two rockets early in the morning, about 70 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden, after which a fire broke out on board.
Forces from the International Alliance for the Protection of Sea Routes are mobilized to respond to the incident, he said. Ships in the area were urged to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.
Information services provider Ambrey reported that a British shipping company ship flying the flag of the Pacific island state of Palau was attacked with two missiles 63 nautical miles southeast of Aden. According to reports, the container ship came from Thailand.