Twin strikes take Houthi ship attacks to the 50 mark

With more missiles yesterday the Houthis took their merchant ship strikes to the 50 mark, underlining the severity of the security situation in Middle Eastern waters where US-led counterstrikes have failed to deter the Yemenis.

In total six missiles were fired yesterday, three at the Star Nasia kamsarmax belonging to Star Bulk and three at the UK-owned Morning Tide general cargo ship. Both ships suffered minor damage but there were no injuries to crew.

What made these attacks – the 49th and 50th since the start of November – different to previous ones, as pointed out by Lars Jensen from consultancy Vespucci Maritime, is that they took place far apart – one in the Gulf of Aden and the other in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Previously attacks have been in just one location and not both.

Speaking with Splash last week, Arsenio Dominguez, the new secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), called for a “multi-faceted” solution to the ongoing Red Sea shipping crisis.

“The solution has to be multi-faceted: enhanced ship security; a cessation of hostile activity which targets innocent seafarers; and regional and international efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the problem,” Dominguez said.