Yemen’s Houthis attacked nearly 30 ships in the first five months of the year

The Yemeni Houthi movement attacked 28 ships in the Red Sea in the first five months of the year, according to a list from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) seen by Middle East Eye.

The IMO, the United Nations specialized agency responsible for regulating maritime transport, collected information on attacks on merchant and commercial vessels between January 10 and June 7.

In a letter seen by MEE, the list of attacks was sent by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the President of the UN Security Council on June 7, as part of a Security Council resolution calling for regular reports on Houthi attacks.

The 28 ships affected included bulk carriers, tankers, container ships, cargo ships and crude oil tankers.

Nine of the ships flew the Marshall Islands flag and three flew the US flag. Others came from Malta, Barbados, Panama, Belize, Greece, Palau, Liberia, Singapore and Portugal.

Most incidents occurred in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea, with one attack occurring in the Indian Ocean.

The list describes all attacks as unmanned aerial vehicles. Most incidents resulted in neither injuries nor significant damage. Explosions and fires often occurred nearby.

A notable exception was an attack on the Barbados-flagged True Confidence on March 6, in which three crew members were killed and four others injured. The crew were rescued from their life raft by a naval vessel.

In an attack on the Belize-flagged cargo ship Rubymar on February 19, two drone strikes forced the crew to abandon ship. All crew members were rescued by another ship.

In another double drone attack on the Palauan-flagged ship Islander on February 22, a sailor was injured when shrapnel hit his ankle.

Between April 6 and 7, the Marshall Islands-flagged Hope Island was attacked with three separate missile strikes. Two of the missiles hit the water, while the other was intercepted by a warship near the ship.

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While attacks were frequent in the first four months of the year, only one attack was documented in May.

Information on the strikes was obtained from flag states, coastal states, IMO member states, shipowners and regional organizations.

All attacks identified by the UN were subsequently confirmed in statements by the Houthis.

The Iran-aligned group said its attacks targeted ships with links to Israel and were an act of resistance in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip suffering from Israeli bombardment.

The attacks began on November 19, when the Houthis seized the car carrier Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah.

The ship is British-owned and Japanese-operated, and according to public shipping databases, its owner is Ray Car Carriers, founded by Israeli tycoon Abraham “Rami” Ungar.

Since November, 25 crew members of the ship have been held on board.

Yemenis from across the country flocked to see the seized ship, which has now become a tourist attraction in the coastal village of al-Salif.

“The Israelis have razed many neighborhoods in Gaza and killed thousands of people. If Israel can give life to those it murdered and rebuild Gaza, then this ship should be allowed to be returned to its Israeli owners,” Mohammed, one of those tourists, told MEE from the ship in December.

In February, the US and UK began air strikes on Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on ships.