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Two more freighters have been attacked

Recently, a number of merchant ships in the Red Sea waters were attacked by Yemen’s Houthi armed forces, escalating tensions in the Middle East, affecting international shipping, threatening the global supply chain.

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is visiting Israel to try to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Red Sea. On Monday, he said in a statement that the United States would lead a new operation focused on security in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Us to launch ‘Guardians of Prosperity’

Austin announced that the United States would establish Operation Defenders of Prosperity, a major transnational security initiative led by the Combined Maritime Force and Task Force 153.
“Escalating reckless attacks from the Houthis in Yemen threaten the free flow of commerce and the safety of innocent seafarers, while violating international law. The Red Sea is a vital waterway, vital for freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor for facilitating international trade.

 

The new defense force for Operation Guardians of Prosperity builds on the strength of the original Combined Maritime Force, which is comprised of a coalition of 39 nations and operates under the leadership of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. One branch, Task Force 153, is dedicated to the Red Sea region.

 

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed on Monday that the United States would strengthen Task Force 153 to help it better respond to attacks from Houthi forces in Yemen.

 

Other countries that have agreed to join the Defenders of Prosperity program include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Seychelles, according to the Defense Department. Some of these countries will conduct patrols, while others will provide intelligence support.

 

Us Defense Secretary Austin said more details about the Defenders of Prosperity would be revealed later, while the Houthis responded by saying they would oppose any US move to establish a joint force in the Red Sea.

Two more freighters have been attacked

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command said Monday that the Cayman Islands-flagged Swan Atlantic oil tanker and cargo ship Clara came under attack from Houthi forces in Yemen, and that a U.S. warship responded to the Swan Atlantic’s request for support, with no injuries in either incident.

 

Yemen’s Houthis later acknowledged both attacks, stressing that both ships had links to Israel. The Houthis said the attack was carried out after the crews of the two boats refused to obey the group’s orders.

 

The Houthis have warned that they will continue to attack any ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel allows the delivery of food and medicine to the Gaza Strip. The group said it would not target ships not affiliated with Israel.

 

None of the crew of the Atlantic Swan, which belongs to a Norwegian company, was injured and the US Navy came to its aid. The details of the attack on the MSC Clara, a Panamanian-flagged ship, were not immediately clear.

 

Due to the threat of Houthi armed forces, a number of shipping companies have recently said that they will suspend navigation in the Red Sea, including the world’s five major shipping giants Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping, CMA CGM and Cosco.

 

The Red Sea connects the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea, Suez Canal – The Red Sea is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with more than 20,000 ships currently passing through the Suez Canal each year, accounting for 14% of global seaborne trade.

 

The inability of shipping companies to pass through the Red Sea means they have to go around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. As a result, not only will transportation times increase, but fuel costs and insurance costs will also increase.

 

On Monday, commodity traders outside the shipping industry also began pulling out of the Red Sea, with oil giant BP and US fertiliser producer Mosaic among those announcing they would no longer ship through the Red Sea, and vessels diverting or suspending operations.