The Houthi attacks on merchant ships continue unhindered

The Yemen-based Houthis have attempted several attacks on the waters off Yemen’s coast in recent days, showing that the problem, although it has not disappeared from the headlines, is not solved.

US forces destroyed an air defense sensor in Yemen, an unmanned surface vessel, two patrol boats in the Red Sea and an unmanned antenna system last day, according to the US Central Command, which came to the aid of dozens of merchant ships that have attacked the Houthis.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group continues to lead military efforts in the region after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended the carrier’s deployment last month.

During this period, the Houthis fired two anti-ship missiles into the Red Sea, but these caused no injuries or damage. Later M/V Verbenaa Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated bulk carrier, was hit for the second time in 24 hours by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen.

A sailor on board the Verbena was seriously injured and medically evacuated by plane from the USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) to a nearby partner ship for medical care. The crew also had to fight fires on board the ship that had been caused by the attacks.

The ship had last docked in Malaysia and was on its way to Italy with wooden building materials.

A day earlier, an unmanned Houthi surface vessel attacked the M/V Tutora Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned and -operated vessel in the Red Sea.

The US armed forces have carried out 51 “self-defense strikes” against the Houthis since November 2023, a US defense official told Washington Examiner.

The Houthis’ attacks have continued unabated since then. The group announced it was doing so in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Despite this claim, it has attacked ships that have no ties to Israel or the United States. At least 65 countries have been affected, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency released Thursday.

The Houthi rocket attacks damaged 18 merchant ships, hijacked one ship and led to more than 40 attempted attacks between November and March, the report said.

From November 19 to Thursday, the Houthis attacked or threatened U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels 190 times, the defense official said.

Global commercial shipping companies were severely affected by the attacks.

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At least 29 major energy and shipping companies have changed their routes to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and since mid-February, container traffic through the Red Sea has fallen by about 90% since December 2023, the DIA found.

About 10 to 15 percent of international maritime trade normally passes through the Red Sea. Instead, companies are taking their ships around the southern tip of Africa rather than navigating the Red Sea between Africa and the Middle East. The new route is about 11,000 nautical miles longer and adds one to two weeks to transit time. It also adds about a million dollars in fuel costs per trip.