By Al-Fassel | 2023-12-18

British energy giant BP on Monday (December 18) joined four other major companies in suspending transits through the Red Sea, as the Iran-backed Houthis continue to attack global shipping lanes.

The suspensions come amid heightened efforts on the part of the United States to build a maritime coalition to protect ships in the strategic waterway.

"In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits," a statement said.

"We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region," it said, noting that it was prioritizing the "safety and security" of staff.

Meanwhile, a "possible explosion" struck a key shipping lane off Yemen on Monday, two maritime agencies said, the latest incident in the vital waterway.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning of a potential explosion striking near a vessel passing through Bab al-Mandeb strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, AFP reported.

The vessel's captain reported an "explosion" occurring two nautical miles from it while it was transiting, maritime security firm Ambrey said.

On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones in the Red Sea launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military's Central Command said.

USS Carney "successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," it said.

The drones were "assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries," it added.

UK destroyer HMS Diamond also brought down a suspected attack drone "targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea," British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Saturday.

"One Sea Viper missile was fired and successfully destroyed the target," he said.

Ensuring freedom of navigation

At least six commercial ships traveling through the Red Sea have been subjected to drone and missile attacks this month as they approached Bab al-Mandeb, the Washington Post reported Monday.

In November, Britain announced it was sending HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer that is one of its most advanced naval vessels, to the Gulf.

The vessel joined the frigate HMS Lancaster which deployed to the region last year, as well as three mine hunters and a support ship, AFP reported.

HMS Diamond is conducting operations to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure merchant vessels and ensure the safe flow of trade, the British defence ministry said.

Shapps warned that "the recent spate of illegal attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security in the Red Sea."

"The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade," he added.

Also on Saturday, the Egyptian air force shot down a drone off Sinai down the coast from the Israeli border, state-linked media reported.

The Houthis said they had fired multiple drones at southern Israel.

Witnesses said they had seen a second flying object crash on landing further up the coast.

Egyptian television channel Al-Qahera reported "the crash of an unidentified flying object in Egyptian territorial waters near the city of Dahab."

It quoted witnesses as saying "air defenses detected the flying object and dealt with it immediately."

Shipping firms reroute vessels

In response to the attacks, five major shipping firms said they are rerouting their vessels away from the Red Sea.

On Friday, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced they were suspending passage through Bab al-Mandeb strait, with Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and France's CMA CGM following suit on Saturday.

MSC, one of the world's largest freight shipping lines, said one of its container vessels had been targeted in the Red Sea on Friday and it was halting traffic through the strait until it was safe.

No one on the MSC Palatium III was wounded but the ship suffered fire damage, the company said.

MarineTracker, which tracks global shipping, indicated that the MSC Palatium III passed through the strait, and upon being attacked turned around rather than continue north closer to the Houthi-held coast, the Washington Post reported.

CMA CGM said it had ordered all its vessels to leave the area.

"The situation continues to deteriorate and there are increasing concerns about security," it said.

The International Chamber of Shipping on Friday condemned the Houthi attacks which "threaten the lives of innocent seafarers and the safety of merchant shipping."

The incidents breached international law and states in the region should work to de-escalate the situation, it said.

Thousands of ships transit through Bab al-Mandeb strait every year.

Diverting Asia-bound shipping from the Red Sea to South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would increase costs and delays, the body noted.

Consultancy S&P Global estimated that the detour would increase the distance between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Singapore by 40%.

International response

Recent attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea "cannot go unanswered," French foreign minister Catherine Colonna said Sunday during a visit to Israel.

"These attacks cannot go unanswered, and we are studying several solutions," including a "defensive role to prevent this from happening again," she said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Bahrain on Monday, where the US Navy's 5th Fleet is based, as part of a Middle East tour that also will take him to Qatar -- a key mediator in negotiations with Hamas, AFP reported.

In Manama, he is to discuss "US efforts to convene multilateral coalitions to respond to aggression at sea that threatens shipping and the global economy," a Department of Defense statement said at the weekend.

A Houthi spokesman on Saturday claimed the group has engaged in Oman-mediated talks with "international parties" about their operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, Reuters reported.

The claim came as Omani mediators arrived in Yemen on Saturday to discuss a new truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, Voice of America reported.

Analysts say the Houthis' involvement in the Israel-Hamas war will prolong the war in Yemen and complicate ongoing dialogue to seek a resolution to the conflict, as well as exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

"Western policy thus far has focused on maritime protection, but the recent escalation calls for a stronger response," The Telegraph reported in a December 13 op-ed reprinted by maritime domain intelligence firm Dryad International.

"There is a real risk of Iranian-driven escalation against Saudi Arabia, which could have severe consequences for oil supply," it said.

"It is imperative to halt the financial support and weapons supply from Iran to the Houthis," it added, calling on the West to "confront this alliance forcefully."