Latest news with #GulfOfAden
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Cairo Intensifying Efforts to Restore Normal Traffic in Suez Canal
Egypt is intensifying its efforts to return traffic in its Suez Canal back to normal in wake of the hit revenues have taken because of the attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Suez Canal traffic in a telephone call with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp. Veldkamp hoped the recent ceasefire agreement between Yemen and the US would positively impact navigation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Abdelatty said Veldkamp stressed the Netherlands' readiness to encourage Dutch companies to resume navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, helping restore normal traffic levels. Revenue from the Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency for Egypt, plummeted to $880.9 million in the fourth quarter from $2.40 billion a year earlier, the victim of Houthi attacks, central bank figures showed in May. Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, Osama Rabie, said in May the authority is considering offering discounts ranging from 12% to 15% on transit fees to help restore traffic in the strategic waterway. Rabie met with representatives from shipping agencies who called for temporary incentives that would help offset increased insurance costs for vessels operating in the Red Sea, which they deemed a high-risk zone. The meeting followed an Oman-mediated ceasefire between the US and the Houthis, under which the US agreed to stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen in return for the group agreeing to stop attacking US ships. The accord does not include Israel. Abdelatty and Veldkamp also exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East region, particularly the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration holding migrants in Djibouti after judge blocks deporting them to South Sudan, president says
A group of eight migrants are being held in the small African country of Djibouti after a judge said the Trump administration's attempt to fly them to South Sudan "unquestionably" violated a court order, President Trump confirmed Thursday. Mr. Trump lashed out at U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, who ordered the government to "maintain custody and control" of the migrants Tuesday. Attorneys say the migrants were put on a flight to violence-plagued South Sudan, allegedly violating an earlier order by Murphy requiring migrants to be given certain due process rights before they're deported to a third country. The Trump administration says the eight men have serious criminal records. "A Federal Judge in Boston, who knew absolutely nothing about the situation, or anything else, has ordered that EIGHT of the most violent criminals on Earth curtail their journey to South Sudan, and instead remain in Djibouti," Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. "He would not allow these monsters to proceed to their final destination." Djibouti is a small country on the Horn of Africa on the continent's east coast, located across the Gulf of Aden from the Arabian Peninsula. Mr. Trump didn't specify where the deportees are being held, but the U.S. has a military base in the country. Mr. Trump said "a large number of ICE Officers" were also left with the men. Murphy has ordered the Trump administration to give six men "reasonable fear" interviews to screen them for any concerns about being harmed in a third country. If they do not satisfy the reasonable fear standard, the government must give them at least 15 days to challenge their removal. Murphy says the men can be held either in the U.S. or abroad, as long as the government maintains custody over them.
The National
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Maritime security deteriorating as piracy surges, warns UN chief
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that maritime security is deteriorating, with piracy and armed robbery at sea surging by nearly 50 per cent in early 2025, threatening international trade and stability. "Without maritime security, there can be no global security," Mr Guterres told the UN Security Council during a high-level debate headed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. "But maritime spaces are increasingly under strain from both traditional threats and emerging dangers." He cited contested boundaries, depleting natural resources and escalating geopolitical tension as central drivers of conflict and crime at sea. The International Maritime Organisation reported a 47.5 per cent increase in piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reversing a modest decline in 2024. Attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have disrupted global shipping routes, exacerbating tension in the volatile region. The group claims the attacks are carried out in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Both the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea remain hotspots for migrant smuggling as well as weapons and human trafficking, Mr Guterres said. "The problem is getting worse," he added. The acting US charge d'affaires Dorothy Shea told council members that the Iran-aligned Houthis have "terrorised" shipping lanes for years, disrupting 30 per cent of global container traffic through the region. The group has attacked several commercial ships and killed civilian sailors, hijacking the Galaxy Leader in November. 'The United States took punishing action to defend freedom of navigation against the Houthis,' Ms Shea said. 'Under pressure, the Houthis have backed down from attacking American ships, but they will face further punishing strikes if they attack US vessels again.' Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday that they would impose a "naval blockade" of the Israeli port of Haifa in response to Israel's escalation of the Gaza war. "All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified that, as of the time of this announcement, the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank," said the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree.
Bloomberg
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Dozens of Sailors Still Stuck Off Yemen After Weeks of Strikes
President Donald Trump's announcement this week that the US would stop bombing Yemen's Houthi rebels should have been good news for the dozens of seafarers who've been stuck off the country's coast for weeks. But the reality is much less certain. A senior officer on board one oil tanker in the area, who asked not to be identified citing company policy but was introduced to Bloomberg News by the ITF, said even after the reported truce it wasn't clear that their vessel would be able to safely discharge its cargo and leave. A branch of the UK Navy said recently it had received reports of vessels being denied permission to depart.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Ship carrying thousands of sheep capsizes
Horrifying footage has captured the moment a commercial livestock ship reportedly carrying two thousand sheep capsized in The Gulf of Aden near Yemen. The incident, which occurred on April 25, saw flocks of helpless sheep struggling to tread water as local fishermen desperately tried to save them. Footage shows the vessel tipping as sheep spill out of the sides, desperately trying to find something to hold on to. They can be heard bleating as swarms of local fishermen do their best to pull them onboard their tiny boats. The bodies of sheep who drowned can be seen scattered across the water, while others remain trapped inside the overturned vessel. According to reports, the ship had departed from Somalia and was heading towards Djibouti when it overturned near the Red Sea. More than 160 sheep reportedly died in the incident which is believed to be due to overloading. In 2020, en route to China, New Zealand's MV Gulf Livestock 1 live export ship capsized in the East China Sea, killing 41 crew members and 5,867 dairy cows. The devastating loss of lives was reportedly caused by a combination of engine problems and rough sea conditions. A ban on the export of live animals by sea was announced in New Zealand the following year, with its phase-out period ending live export by sea from New Zealand in April 2023. In 2022, over 15,000 sheep drowned in the Red Sea after a ship crammed with livestock went down. The vessel had 15,800 sheep on it despite it having a 9,000 capacity when trying to export the animals to Saudi Arabia from the port of Suakin in Sudan. Only 700 of those animals were able to be rescued. The lost livestock was estimated to be worth around $4 million. Just last year, The Australian federal government announced it would end Australia's live sheep export trade by 2028. The move was welcomed by animal rights groups, with the RSCPA WA chair Lynne Bradshaw celebrating it as an 'historic day for animal welfare in Australia'. 'Australia's live sheep trade has resulted in multiple animal welfare catastrophes and publicly documented cruelty over the past forty years,' Ms Bradshaw said. However, WA sheep farmers tasked with carrying out the policy say it will destroy livelihoods and crush regional communities.
