Shipping in unsafe waters: High risk alert issued in the Red Sea

The southern section of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are still at “high risk" due to ongoing Houthi attacks, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) said.

PHOTO: Large container vessel ship passing Suez Canal, Egypt. Getty Images

Shipping through the Suez Canal continues to pose a threat to maritime operators because of recurring airstrikes and drone attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants, the maritime forum said.

The escalating threats have sent shockwaves through the global shipping industry, prompting shipping firms to reconsider voyages through the Red Sea. Swiss shipping firm Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) found itself directly impacted when one of its container ships fell victim to a recent attack in the Red Sea. In response, MSC swiftly announced it would continue to reroute vessels booked for the Suez Canal transit via the Cape of Good Hope.

Similarly, German container liner Hapag-Lloyd has embarked on a series of comprehensive reviews to assess the feasibility of resuming operations through the Suez Canal, a company spokesperson told ENGINE. The container liner still considers transiting through the Red Sea dangerous.

Some shipping firms have opted to continue transiting through the Red Sea with military support in the region. However, the Iran-aligned Houthis could target Israeli-flagged and -affiliated ships calling Saudi Arabian ports, according to maritime risk management firm Ambrey.

“This would be considered an escalation, and would be condemned, but unless there was damage to port infrastructure, it is assessed unlikely that the Kingdom [Saudi Arabia] would want to escalate,” the firm said.

Red Sea chokepoints under threat

The IBF has identified certain regions of the Red Sea that pose severe threats to commercial vessel's operation:

• The Southern part of the Red Sea, from the border of Saudi Arabia, running west to Eritrea.
• The Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, running parallel to the Eritrea and Djibouti border.
• The central coast of Yemen, from the port of Aden until the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).
• Along the Recommended Security Corridor (RSC) until the Warlike Operations Area (12 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, which is designated as Warlike Operations Area )

“It is important to assess the threat to seafarers and shipping and urge the respective governments to take action to ensure the safety of the seafarers and thereby global trade,” said Joint Negotiating Group’s (JNG) chairman Toshihito Inoue.

Meanwhile, some shipping firms including France-based CMA CGM and Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk announced plans to gradually resume shipping operations through the Red Sea, despite the ongoing airstrikes.

These shipping companies regained confidence to operate in the Bab al-Mandab Strait after a US-led maritime task force was deployed to counter attacks by Houthi.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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