Greece has advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to avoid Yemeni waters, keeping only necessary crew members in the control rooms and following warnings issued by maritime authorities to avoid attacks in the region. Greek shipowners control about 20 percent of the world's commercial vessels in terms of capacity. The warnings were issued by the Ministry of Shipping after attacks by the Houthi group in recent times forced leading shipping companies to reroute their ships around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
According to a document seen by Reuters, ships must also conduct fire drills and regular inspections of their safety equipment before arriving at Yemeni shores. They have been advised to navigate through the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait at night. The Houthis, who control vast areas of Yemen, claim that their attacks on ships are a response to the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, stating that these attacks will continue until Israel halts its operation.
The attacks have begun to negatively impact global trade and prompted the United States to launch a multinational operation to protect commerce in the Red Sea. Greek officials reported on Wednesday that Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides mentioned that Greece is in talks with officials from the European Union and the United States and is ready to participate in any international maritime security initiative.
