The Houthis are rekindling their attacks

“Hit” in two container vessels and an American cruiser

The shipping industry is bracing for a resurgence of Houthi attacks following a recent lull by the Iran-backed military group, which has not directly targeted a ship in two weeks. Yesterday they launched attacks against two container ships and a US Navy cruiser. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sharia said they launched a missile attack against the container ship “Maersk Yorktown” which is chartered by Americans in the Gulf of Aden. It also claimed that they attacked a US Navy cruiser with drones.

An “Israeli” container ship, the Portuguese-flagged MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean, was also targeted, according to the Houthi spokesman.< /p>

A statement posted on the official Houthi website on Monday and distributed via the Telegram messaging app warned that “armed forces will escalate their operations against Zionist shipping and those associated with it in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Indian Ocean ».

No serious incidents of direct attacks on ships have been reported since the attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged containership Hope Island (IMO: 9263320) came under fire during three separate missile launches between April 6 and April 7.

Analysts security officials have warned that the threat to shipping remains unchanged and warnings of a resurgence in attacks should be taken seriously.

While US and UK airstrikes are estimated to have degraded Houthi capabilities to carry out attacks, it remains unclear what lies behind the recent period of relative calm.

“Coalition airstrikes would have some effect, albeit limited, and I would say it is not the determining factor in reducing attacks,” analysts point out, adding:

“It is likely that the pool of targets of the Houthis has decreased as vessels fitting the target profile choose the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.”

Cargo vessel transits around the Cape of Good Hope climbed to new highs last week. According to figures from Lloyd's List Intelligence, 802 ships made the crossing, up from 670 a week last week.

Meanwhile, Bab el Mandeb crossings totaled 221 last week, down by 60% compared to the normal volume.

“The traffic in the Red Sea is reduced, but it does not mean that the Houthis have gone dormant, it means that they are regrouping,” experts point out.

source: newmoney.gr