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.
