By Al-Fassel | 2024-04-02

The disruption of global shipping via the Suez Canal, caused by the Houthis' indiscriminate attacks on merchant vessels, is symptomatic of a wider disturbance that is being orchestrated by major geopolitical actors, sources said.

In a recent webinar on the shipping disruption caused by the Houthis in the Red Sea, maritime security expert Moritz Brake said the Suez situation goes beyond mere shipping line disruptions, Dryad Global's Channel 16 reported.

Brake, a founder of maritime consultancy Nexmaris in Cologne, contends that the Suez situation is a symptom of a larger disruption in the current global economic order, intentionally orchestrated by major geopolitical actors.

This disruption is a strategic move involving Russia, Iran (via its proxies, the Houthis) and tacit Chinese support against the West, Brake said.

The Houthis' attacks and counter-attacks extend beyond headline-grabbing waterway disruptions, he added, impacting global markets and leading to industrial shutdowns in Western countries like Germany.

Russian warships in Red Sea

As the Houthis continue to attack vessels, they have granted "safe passage" to those of Iran's allies Russia and China, which have sought to capitalize on the situation, commercially and possibly militarily as well.

Russian warships from the Pacific Fleet -- including the missile cruiser Varyag and frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov -- have entered the Red Sea via Bab al-Mandeb, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported March 28.

According to the Russian Pacific Fleet's press service, the ships were carrying out "assigned tasks within the framework of the long-range sea campaign."

The ultimate destination of the ships was unclear, as was the reason Russia sent vessels to the area, Bloomberg reported.

Chinese and Russian warships took part in a joint naval exercise with Iran in the Gulf of Oman March 12-15, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

China enabling Houthis

For its part, China is indirectly enabling the Houthis' attacks through its purchase of Iranian oil -- which funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), Politico reported March 28.

China buys about 90% of Iran's oil, it said, including crude sold by the IRGC-QF, which trains and funds Iran's proxies across the Middle East, including Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

In addition to enabling the Houthis through the purchase of Iranian oil, China has failed to assist international vessels when they come under attack, a senior US military officer told Al-Arabiya.

Speaking to the media outlet aboard the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier as it transited the southern Red Sea, US Navy Rear Admiral Marc Miguez said there had been no communication with the Chinese military about any help.

Although China has a military presence in the Red Sea, primarily for counter-piracy operations, it has not assisted ships asking for help.

"They've been nearby when ships have been attacked," Miguez said. "And I will say none of them have offered to assist any of the innocent merchant traffic that has been attacked."

The Houthis' attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea have seen major shipping companies reroute their vessels away from the waterway and have spawned a large-scale international maritime deterrence initiative.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces on March 30 engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen -- one over the Red Sea, and the other on the ground as it prepared to launch.

On the night of March 28, CENTCOM forces destroyed four UAS the Houthis had launched from Yemen towards a coalition vessel and a US warship.

And in the pre-dawn hours of March 27, CENTCOM destroyed four long-range UAS over the Red Sea launched by the Houthis and aimed at a US warship.