Jan 16 (Reuters) – The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the Iran-aligned group will monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and will continue its attacks on ships in the Red Sea if it is breached.
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
The intensity of attacks has disrupted global shipping trade and prompted route changes, which have meant longer voyages for goods to arrive.
The Houthis have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
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The waterway is a strategic link between the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean through which exports to Western markets from the Gulf and Asia must pass before entering the Suez Canal.
Here are details on some of the attacks:
- Houthi commandos seized the crew and Bahamas=flagged car carrier Galaxy Leader in international waters in November 2023. The militia still holds the 25 crew members.
- The Greek-owned vessel Zografia was sailing from Vietnam to Israel with 24 crew on board and was empty of cargo when attacked off the Yemeni port of Saleef in January 2024. The attack caused a large hole below the waterline.
- The British-owned Rubymar was struck with multiple missiles in February 2024, becoming the first ship sunk by the Houthis. It sank on March 2 last year.
- In March, a Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence, in the first fatalities reported. The attack set the ship ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.
- The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier sank in June 2024, days after it was struck with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat by Houthis near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. One crew member, believed to have been working in the Tutor’s engine room, remains missing. The rest were evacuated by military authorities and repatriated. Salvagers are still trying to retrieve the vessel.
- The Greek-registered tanker Sounion, carrying 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, was struck by several missiles and drones and caught fire on Aug. 21 last year, triggering fears of an oil spill that could cause catastrophic environmental damage. It took months for the vessel to be declared safe and the cargo removed.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Alexander Smith)
