On December 18, there were additional incidents against civilian vessels in the southern Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for using seaplanes to attack two ships in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Norwegian shipowner Inventor Chemical Tankers reported that its chemical tanker, SWAN ATLANTIC (flagged in the Cayman Islands), was struck on the port side by an unidentified explosive device. The vessel was on her way from Sète (France) to Reunion Island and was 24 nautical miles northwest of Mokha, Yemen. A fire broke out on the ship, but the Indian crew members reported no injuries. According to them, the ship only suffered limited damage, with only a water tank being affected.
A growing list of incidents
The container ship MSC CLARA (Panama flag) was en route from the port of King Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) when it reported a possible explosion on its port side at 2 Nq while 30 Nq south of Mokha.
The oil tanker STI GOAL (Marshall Islands flag) and the chemical tanker GREEN TRADER (Marshall Islands flag) reported being approached by five skiffs with armed men on board, 63 Nq northeast of Djibouti at the entrance to the Red Sea.
STI GOAL was on its way from Ruwais (United Arab Emirates) to Rotterdam (Netherlands), while GREEN TRADER was going from Kalamata (Greece) to Fujaĩrah (United Arab Emirates).
The US has launched a coalition to secure shipping
Secretary Austin has condemned Houthi attacks on international shipping and global trade as unprecedented and unacceptable. He emphasized that these attacks threaten the free flow of commerce. This information comes from a statement by Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder.
On December 18, Mr. Austin announced the formation of a ten-nation coalition in the Red Sea to address repeated Houthist attacks on ships that the Yemeni rebels consider to be ‘linked to Israel’. The coalition includes the USA, France, the UK, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the Seychelles.
France welcomed the announcement by the United States of a possible coalition in the Red Sea and called for “the broadest possible coordination between partners”, according to a statement from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Indeed, France is present in the area with the Languedoc multi-mission frigate (FREMM), which shot down three drones from Yemen in December.
No way out in sight
In reaction to the announcement of the coalition’s initiative, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, stated in an interview with the Iranian Arabic-language channel Al-Alam that the Houthis will target ships in the Red Sea of any country that acts against them.
