By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-08

Since the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian on December 18, around 1,500 merchant ships have safely transited the Red Sea, and collaboration with the maritime shipping industry has increased dramatically, the US military said.

The international maritime coalition is growing rapidly, with 22 countries contributing to the operation and more expected to contribute in coming weeks.

Yet the Iran-backed Houthis have continued to harass and attack merchant vessels in the key international waterway and in the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Monday (January 8) received a report of two small craft approaching a merchant vessel approximately 50 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Mokha, Reuters reported.

No weapons were sighted and the vessel and its crew were reported to be safe.

US destroyer USS Laboon on Saturday morning shot down a drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the international waters of the southern Red Sea, the US military's Central Command said.

The attack occurred in the vicinity of multiple commercial vessels, it added, reporting no casualties or damage as a result of the incident.

And on Thursday morning, a Houthi one-way attack unmanned surface vessel (USV) detonated in international shipping lanes.

"Fortunately, there were no casualties and no ships were hit, but the introduction of a one-way attack USV is of concern," US Naval Forces Central Command's Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said during a Thursday briefing.

Since November 18, there have been more than 25 attacks against merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Cooper said.

"Our assessment is that 55 nations have direct connections to the ships who have been attacked," he said, either via the flagging state, where the goods were produced or destined, the vessel's ownership or the crews' nationalities.

The impacts of these attacks "stretch across the globe," he said, stressing that "this is an international problem that requires an international solution."

When vessels approach a chokepoint like Bab al-Mandeb, "they often form very narrow lines in traveling near each other," he said, adding that to date, all the Houthis' attacks on shipping happened in the dense maritime shipping lanes.

"This, coupled with the fact that Houthi missiles often miss their intended targets mean that any ship, really at any time, is at risk of collateral damage when passing through the Houthi-controlled territory in the vicinity of the southern Red Sea," he said.

International disruption

The Houthis' attacks on freedom of navigation in the Red Sea "have directly affected the citizens, the cargo, the commercial interests of more than 40 countries," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.

"They've disrupted or diverted nearly 20% of global shipping," he said during a press briefing in Qatar with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

"More than a dozen shipping companies have had to reroute thousands of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope," he said, which means "it takes longer to get goods to where they're supposed to go."

This increases the cost, he said, "and that cost gets passed on to consumers around the world – whether it's food, whether it's fuel, whether it's medicine, humanitarian assistance, you name it."

"So these attacks by the Houthis are hurting people around the world – most of all, the poorest and most vulnerable populations, including in Yemen, including in Gaza," Blinken added.

Al Thani stressed that Qatar's position "is very clear on protecting the freedom of navigation, and what's happening in the escalation in the Red Sea is something unacceptable that we don't want to see in our country."

Qatar hopes to "see a stop to what's happening to the civilian ships as soon as possible through our diplomatic means," he added.

'Persistent presence'

Operation Prosperity Guardian is "entirely defensive in nature," Cooper said.

It operates under the auspices of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Task Force 153, bringing greater numbers of ships and a "persistent presence" to the waterway, he said, noting that the number of nations participating has grown.

Prior to the start of the operation, he said, "naval presence in the southern Red Sea was episodic at best, frankly because it just wasn't necessary."

"However, since the operation's begun, several nations have committed to persistently patrol these waters, and together, we now have the largest surface and air presence in the southern Red Sea in years," Cooper said.

"Today, we have five warships from international countries patrolling in the southern Red Sea," he said, as well as manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, tactical aircraft and jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier.

Since the launch of the operation, "22 countries are now contributing, and in just the last few days, we've seen Greece and Denmark publicly say that they're willing to send ships," Cooper said.

"And in the coming weeks, we expect additional countries to contribute, which will only strengthen our ability to deter."

Since the start of the operation, no Houthi drones or missiles fired into international shipping lanes have actually hit any merchant vessels, he said, and "about 1,500 vessels have safely transited through the Bab al-Mandeb."

"Since the operation started, together with our partners, we have shot down 19 drones and missiles and sunk three small boats," he said.

"Of the 19 drones and missiles, 11 have been uncrewed aerial vehicles. There have been two cruise missiles and six anti-ship ballistic missiles."

Shipping industry engagement

Through Operation Prosperity Guardian, "we really have significantly increased our engagement with the shipping industry through strong, frequent two-way communications and a multi-echelon approach," Cooper said.

"I think the relationships that have always been strong are even stronger."

"We have ships in specific areas spread out over the length of the southern Red Sea ... very actively patrolling, able to patrol alongside with and defend a large group of merchants who are transiting," Cooper explained.

On occasion, these ships will switch to "escorting or being close to a group of ships for extra-close overwatch," he said.

"That's the general concept. And we're happy with it. I think this will continue. And as more nations contribute ships and they show up, some have to come from long distances, they'll fold into this model."

The increased presence "does serve as an assurance to the commercial industry. They've provided this feedback directly to us on multiple occasions," he said.

"Particularly relevant is we're out operating at sea, and they see something, they can say something and get a very quick response. I think that's been very helpful."