Drones Attack Commercial Vessels on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea
takyon writes:
Houthis launch more drone attacks as shipping companies suspend Red Sea operations
The American military said one of its ships deployed to the Red Sea has successfully shot down more than a dozen drones launched from areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi militant group.
[...] Britain's defense minister, Grant Shapps, said in a statement that the U.K. naval vessel HMS Diamond had also recently shot down what he termed a "suspected attack drone" that had targeted merchant shipping. "The recent spate of illegal attacks," Shapps wrote, "represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security in the Red Sea."
The Houthis, who control large swaths of northern Yemen, have said they will continue to attack vessels that are either owned or operated by Israeli firms, or are in transit to Israel.
[...] The impact on the international shipping business has been seismic, with Northern European companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd on Friday telling their ship captains to avoid the region or hold in place while the threat persists.
The Swiss-headquartered cargo giant MSC said on Saturday its vessels would cease transit through the Suez Canal for the foreseeable future after one of its ships, Palatium III, was attacked Friday morning.
Cracks Form In New Naval Coalition, Drone Strikes Spread To Indian Ocean
Operation Prosperity Guardian, the American-led coalition to defend shipping through the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden from Houthi attacks is showing major cracks just as it is forming. At the same time, the latest rash of drone strikes on commercial vessels appears to have spread far from Yemen's shores, to waters off India.
[...] Just hours ago, a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker M/V Chem Pluto that has ties to Israel was struck by a drone while sailing in the Indian Ocean, roughly 120 miles to the southwest of the Indian port city of Veraval.
Enjoy the new war and/or price hikes.
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