Houthis Set ‘New Rules’ In The Red Sea; Many Stranded Vessels In The Red Sea Awaits Clearance

As international maritime traffic has been significantly threatened by Yemen’s Houthis, dozens of Cargo ships, fearing attacks from the Houthis in the Red Sea have been stranded at the Djibouti port, located in the strategic area linking far east Africa and the Red Sea.

Because of the threats of potential attacks from Houthis, many cargo ships are stranded in the Djibouti port, an entrance to the Red Sea and one of the important transit ports.  According to reports, more than 20,000 ships were passing through the Red Sea each year, constituting 30 per cent of the world’s container volume. This includes the passage of oil, gas and many other trades each day. In the last week, due to the attacks from the Houthis, more than 300 vessels have detoured around Africa, taking 6000 extra nautical miles and causing an additional 12 days of transit time. With the increased transit time and the congestion in other ports, the cost of shipping has significantly increased.

A maritime expert from Djibouti told Al Jazeera that dozens of the Cargo ships are stranded in the Djibouti port areas, waiting for security clearance for a safe entry to the Red Sea. He says that the ships stranded there have to give assurance to the Houthis that they are not heading to Israel or not doing business with Israel. He says that the Houthis are “setting the rules in the Red Rea” for ships to operate there.

He also expressed his worry over the increased number of attacks on the ships, disrupting the maritime traffic and causing global implications. He says that the oil price is rising. Many international shipping companies have suspended their ships, fearing attacks from the Houthis.

However, the US had formed an alliance force to protect vessels from the attacks, accusing Houthis of blocking international maritime traffic. However, the Houthis claim that they are only targeting vessels connected to Israel.

However, the coalition led by the US has launched operations in the Red Sea.