Due to attacks by Houthi rebels: Shipping companies avoid important trade routes and demand more protection

Red Sea - Due to attacks by Houthi rebels: Shipping companies avoid important trade routes and demand more protection

The war between Israel and the radical Islamic group Hamas is having an increasing impact on international shipping: following attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, several shipping companies announced at the weekend that they would no longer sail through the area, which is important for trade, for the time being. The US military command for the Middle East (Centcom) reported on Saturday that a US warship in the Red Sea had intercepted 14 attack drones fired from Yemen. According to the Ministry of Defense in London, the British destroyer "HMS Diamond" also fended off a drone.

The more than a dozen drones were shot down by the destroyer "USS Carney" with no reports of damage to ships or casualties, Centcom explained on the online service X (formerly Twitter). They were fired from areas in Yemen controlled by the Shiite Huthi militias, it added.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had previously stated that he had discussed the attacks in the Red Sea with his British counterpart Grant Shapps. In the online service X, Austin described them as "irresponsible and illegal" and "an international problem that must be dealt with".

USA announces plans to counter aggression at sea

On Saturday, Austin announced a trip to the Middle East with stops in Israel, Bahrain and Qatar. Austin's visit to Bahrain will focus on "US efforts to build multilateral coalitions to respond to maritime aggression that threatens shipping and the global economy," the Pentagon said.

In Israel, Austin will meet with senior military officials to discuss "the next steps in the conflict after a possible end to ground operations and high-intensity airstrikes," a senior US Department of Defense official said.

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, the Iran-affiliated Houthi militia in Yemen has repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels are threatening to attack any ship on its way to Israel unless the import of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip is allowed.

Shipping companies demand more protection in the Red Sea

The Red Sea is an important route for international trade: thousands of ships pass through the strait between Yemen at the south-western tip of the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa every year.

Due to the ongoing attacks, two more shipping companies, the Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and the French CMA CGM, announced on Saturday that they would no longer sail through the strait. On Friday, the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and the Danish shipping company Maersk had already announced their intention to suspend their voyages through the Red Sea for the time being. A container ship belonging to the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd had previously come under fire.

The Association of German Shipowners (VDR) called for an international military alliance to protect civilian shipping in the Red Sea - including the German Armed Forces. The USA, France and England are already present in the region with military ships, said association president Martin Kröger on Bayerischer Rundfunk radio. "In this respect, we are very much in favor of establishing a maritime alliance to protect maritime traffic in the region."