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Malay Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘All crew Muslim': Red Sea ships signal nationality and religion in desperate bid to avoid Houthi drone strikes
LONDON, July 12 — Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. The group sank two ships this week after months of calm and its leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated there would be no passage for any company transporting goods connected to Israel. In recent days more ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait have added messages to their AIS public tracking profiles that can be seen when clicking on a vessel. Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board. 'All Crew Muslim,' read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data. Maritime security sources said this was a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack by Houthi commandos or deadly drones — but they also thought it was unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was 'much deeper and forward-leaning', one source said. Vessels in the broader fleets of both ships attacked and sunk by the Houthis this week had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping analysis showed. Maritime security sources said even though shipping companies must step up due diligence on any tangential link to Israel before sailing through the Red Sea, the risk of attack was still high. In March 2024, the Houthis hit the Chinese-operated tanker Huang Pu with ballistic missiles despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese vessels, the U.S. Central Command said. The Houthis have also targeted vessels trading with Russia. 'Despite declared ceasefires, areas such as the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait remain designated high-risk by underwriters,' insurance broker Aon said in a report this week. 'Ongoing monitoring and adaptive security measures are essential for ship operators.' The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week's attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages. The number of daily sailings through the strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 35 vessels on July 10, 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd's List Intelligence data showed. That compares with a daily average of 79 sailings in October 2023, before Houthi attacks began. 'Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job,' the UK-based Seafarers' Charity said this week. — Reuters
Khaleej Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
'All Crew Muslim': Ships look to dodge Red Sea attacks with messages
Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. The group sank two ships this week after months of calm and its leader Abdul Malik Al Houthi reiterated there would be no passage for any company transporting goods connected to Israel. In recent days more ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the narrow Bab Al Mandab strait have added messages to their AIS public tracking profiles that can be seen when clicking on a vessel. Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board. "All Crew Muslim," read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data. Maritime security sources said this was a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack by Houthi commandos or deadly drones — but they also thought it was unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was "much deeper and forward-leaning", one source said. Vessels in the broader fleets of both ships attacked and sunk by the Houthis this week had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping analysis showed. Maritime security sources said even though shipping companies must step up due diligence on any tangential link to Israel before sailing through the Red Sea, the risk of attack was still high. In March 2024, the Houthis hit the Chinese-operated tanker Huang Pu with ballistic missiles despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese vessels, the US Central Command said. The Houthis have also targeted vessels trading with Russia. "Despite declared ceasefires, areas such as the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait remain designated high-risk by underwriters," insurance broker Aon said in a report this week. "Ongoing monitoring and adaptive security measures are essential for ship operators." The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week's attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages. The number of daily sailings through the strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 35 vessels on July 10, 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd's List Intelligence data showed. That compares with a daily average of 79 sailings in October 2023, before Houthi attacks began. "Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job," the UK-based Seafarers' Charity said this week.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'All Crew Muslim': ships look to dodge Red Sea attacks with messages
By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) -Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. The group sank two ships this week after months of calm and its leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated there would be no passage for any company transporting goods connected to Israel. In recent days more ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait have added messages to their AIS public tracking profiles that can be seen when clicking on a vessel. Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board. "All Crew Muslim," read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data. Maritime security sources said this was a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack by Houthi commandos or deadly drones - but they also thought it was unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was "much deeper and forward-leaning", one source said. Vessels in the broader fleets of both ships attacked and sunk by the Houthis this week had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping analysis showed. Maritime security sources said even though shipping companies must step up due diligence on any tangential link to Israel before sailing through the Red Sea, the risk of attack was still high. In March 2024, the Houthis hit the Chinese-operated tanker Huang Pu with ballistic missiles despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese vessels, the U.S. Central Command said. The Houthis have also targeted vessels trading with Russia. "Despite declared ceasefires, areas such as the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait remain designated high-risk by underwriters," insurance broker Aon said in a report this week. "Ongoing monitoring and adaptive security measures are essential for ship operators." The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week's attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages. The number of daily sailings through the strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 35 vessels on July 10, 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd's List Intelligence data showed. That compares with a daily average of 79 sailings in October 2023, before Houthi attacks began. "Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job," the UK-based Seafarers' Charity said this week.
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
'All Crew Muslim': ships look to dodge Red Sea attacks with messages
LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. The group sank two ships this week after months of calm and its leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated there would be no passage for any company transporting goods connected to Israel. In recent days more ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait have added messages to their AIS public tracking profiles that can be seen when clicking on a vessel. Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board. "All Crew Muslim," read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data. Maritime security sources said this was a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack by Houthi commandos or deadly drones - but they also thought it was unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was "much deeper and forward-leaning", one source said. Vessels in the broader fleets of both ships attacked and sunk by the Houthis this week had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping analysis showed. Maritime security sources said even though shipping companies must step up due diligence on any tangential link to Israel before sailing through the Red Sea, the risk of attack was still high. In March 2024, the Houthis hit the Chinese-operated tanker Huang Pu with ballistic missiles despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese vessels, the U.S. Central Command said. The Houthis have also targeted vessels trading with Russia. "Despite declared ceasefires, areas such as the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait remain designated high-risk by underwriters," insurance broker Aon said in a report this week. "Ongoing monitoring and adaptive security measures are essential for ship operators." The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week's attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages. The number of daily sailings through the strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 35 vessels on July 10, 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd's List Intelligence data showed. That compares with a daily average of 79 sailings in October 2023, before Houthi attacks began. "Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job," the UK-based Seafarers' Charity said this week.
The Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Six crew rescued, 15 missing after Houthis sink latest Greek ship in Red Sea
The EU's Aspides naval mission, which protects Red Sea shipping, confirmed in a statement that six people had been pulled from the sea. The Red Sea, which passes Yemen's coast, has long been a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since the Houthi attacks began. The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, numbered 30 vessels on July 8, from 34 ships on July 6 and 43 on July 1, according to data from maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. Oil prices rose on Wednesday, maintaining their highest levels since June 23, also due to the recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea. MULTIPLE ATTACKS Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats by suspected Houthi militants, maritime security sources said. Lifeboats were destroyed during the raid. By Tuesday morning the vessel was adrift and listing. Two security sources told Reuters that the vessel was hit again with sea drones on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it. The Houthis stayed with the vessel until the early hours of Wednesday, one of the sources said. Skiffs were in the area as rescue efforts were under way. The crew comprised 21 Filipinos and one Russian. Three armed guards were also on board, including one Greek and one Indian, who was one of those rescued. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries. If confirmed, the four reported deaths would be the first fatalities from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024. Greece has been in talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, over the latest incident, according to sources. Reuters
