The Yemeni Houthis are at it again as the maritime peace and services around the Red Sea and its environs in the Western Seaboard of the Indian Ocean are disrupted and almost brought to a stand still.
The latest press reports from the Red Sea state that a bulk carrier sank da after an attack by Yemeni’s Houthi rebels.The rebels are reported to have killed one mariner on board.This is the second ship sunk in the rebels' campaign.
The sinking of the Tutor in the Red Sea marks what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed shipping through the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
The African Shipping Review magazine's editorial team is grossly concerned with the disruption of maritime activities in this part of the world.
The conflict in Yemen has introduced additional maritime security threats,other than piracy, to the Southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb;these include collateral damage due to conflict between groups in the region and potential deliberate targeting of ships.
The use of lethal Water-Borne Imprvised Explosive Devices (WBIED) has been reported here .An attack involving a ely to involve one or more skiffs approaching the merchant ship at high speed firing both small arms and Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs).
Maritime security is usually viewed from the lens of what disturbs it,based on an insecurity perspective.
Most of the time this has to do with piracy and armed robbery at sea,illegal,unregulated,and unreported (IUU) fishing,illicit trafficking,and terrorism.
Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) - the egulates global shipping - have called for an immediate end to ongoing attacks on ships and seafarers transiting through Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In a resolution adopted in London,IMO's Maritime Safety Committee condemned the attacks as “illegal and unjustifiable”,posing a direct threat to the freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical waterways,while causing major disruptions to regional and global trade.
It is the first resolution to be adopted by the IMO Member States on this issue since the Houthis seized the MV Galaxy Leader in November 2023.
Since then,aound 50 dangerous and destabilizing maritime attacks have been carried out,costing the lives of several seafarers while the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leaderremain hostage. The Committee called for their immediate and unconditional release.
George Sunguh
MANAGING EDITOR
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