Houthi attack leaves British ships vulnerable

The crew of a British-registered cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden were forced to disembark following Houthi strikes, BBC News reported on February 19. 

Yemeni rebel group, the Houthi movement have been targeting what they perceive to be Israeli ships as well as the country’s allies since November in solidarity with the Palestinian people. 

Israel’s brutal war on Gaza since October has caused tensions to expand on a regional scale. 

It has been reported that the Rubymar ship is at serious risk of sinking as a result of a couple of missiles hitting it. 

The UK Maritime Trade Operations, an agency dedicated to tackling piracy, announced on February 19 that the crew had to abandon the ship following the incident in Al Mukha in Yemen, at the southern end of the Red Sea. 

READ: Resilient Houthis strike US-owned container ship

The rebel group’s disruptions have caused shipping companies to cease using the Red Sea shipping corridor, which accounts for roughly 12% of global trade by sea. 

In a separate incident, British maritime security firm Ambrey said that a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship had come under attack in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on February 18 as it was making its way northwards. 

Ambrey noted that, “The partially laden vessel briefly slowed from 10 to six knots and deviated course, and contacted the Djiboutian Navy, before returning to her previous course and speed,” 

A day prior, the US Central Command said its forces had carried out five strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on after finding out that they posed an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. 

BBC News/ The Independent