Houthis renew campaign against merchant shipping

The Houthis from Yemen carried out their first ship strikes in 18 days on Monday with three explosions reported near the bulk carrier Motaro which was passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The ship and its crew escaped unscathed. 

The attacks were the first since the US sent in bombers to take out Houthi infrastructure earlier this month. 

A Houthi spokesman also claimed last night that his group had also targeted two containerships yesterday, although there was no evidence to back these claims up. 

More than 120 vessels have been targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in their 11-month campaign against merchant shipping in support of Hamas and their ongoing war with Israel. 

Data released this month from UNCTAD, the United Nations’ trade and development body, shows the effect the Houthi campaign has had on container shipping costs.