Houthi forces in Yemen are targeting ships in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait in attacks aimed at supporting Palestinians amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The Danish shipping company "Maersk" stated on Thursday that its vessel "Maersk Jebel Tariq" was targeted by a missile while en route from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but later denied being hit. The Houthis claimed they struck the tanker with a drone.
Recent attacks by the Houthis include:
- **December 15**: An American defense official reported that a projectile launched from an area in Yemen controlled by the Houthis hit the German-owned, Liberia-flagged ship Al-Jasra, causing a fire with no injuries.
- **December 15**: Maersk denied the Houthis' claims of a drone strike on a Maersk vessel heading to Israel but reported that the tanker was targeted by a missile. Shipping sources noted on Thursday that Maersk Tankers ships had the option to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope due to the deteriorating security situation in the Red Sea.
- **December 12**: A Houthi spokesperson stated that the group targeted the Norwegian commercial tanker Strinda. An American official told Reuters that the attack occurred approximately 111 kilometers north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- **December 9**: The Houthis warned that they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality, and cautioned all global shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.
- **December 3**: The U.S. military reported that three commercial ships were attacked in international waters in the southern Red Sea, with the Houthis claiming responsibility for drone and missile strikes on two Israeli vessels in the area.
- **November 19**: Israel stated that the Houthis seized a shipping vessel owned by Britain and managed by Japan in the southern Red Sea.
**What is Bab el-Mandeb?**
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is the gateway from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, situated between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast. It is one of the world's most important shipping routes for global maritime cargo, especially crude oil and fuel from the Gulf heading to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal or the Sumed pipeline, in addition to goods heading to Asia, including Russian oil.
The strait experienced a naval blockade imposed by Egypt on Israel during the October War in 1973. Bab el-Mandeb is 30 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, complicating tanker movement and limiting it to two lanes for incoming and outgoing cargo separated by Perim Island.
In the first 11 months of 2023, approximately 7.80 million barrels per day of crude oil and fuel shipments transited the strait, up from 6.60 million barrels per day for all of 2022, according to oil analytics firm Vortexa. Vortexa reported an average of 27 tankers loaded with crude or fuel transiting daily in 2023, an increase from 20 the previous year.
The Energy Information Administration noted that 12% of the total sea-borne oil transported in the first half of 2023, as well as 8% of liquefied natural gas trade, passed through Bab el-Mandeb, the Sumed pipeline, and the Suez Canal.
