• Entire British cargo ship abandoned in the Red Sea
• Houthis claim to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone
After months of unpredictable targeted attacks from both US and UK forces in Yemen, with the Red Sea still in a state of jeopardy, the question arises: what has truly become of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea? Since November, when the attacks on Israeli shipping boats were first started by the Houthis, there have been 30 Houthi attacks on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea. As a response, the US and UK have launched targeted retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, claiming to be targeting weapon facilities and weapon storage locations. The exact number of civilian and military casualties in the Houthi-led provinces of Yemen is unknown and hard to identify, as the US-UK joint strikes show no signs of stopping. Only on Saturday did the US carry out five strikes in Yemen late at night. Yet the Houthi attacks also show no signs of stopping.
Today, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e claimed that a Belize-flagged British cargo ship was attacked in their latest assault on commercial vessels. The spokesperson shared a post on social media claiming to have caused ‘catastrophic damage’. He said when speaking about the cargo ship that ‘the ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt’. He also added that ‘as a result of extensive damage the ship suffered, it is at risk of potential sinking in the gulf of aden’. These claims did not go understated as the UK. Maritime Trade Operations Agency said on the matter that an explosion ‘in close proximity of the vessel’ had damaged it and the ship had to be abandoned. This ship, likely carrying cargo worth millions, is not the first to be attacked since the Houthis launched their campaign against Israeli, US, and UK-linked commercial shipping vessels. The Houthis have attacked more than 50 vessels since the beginning of their campaign in November, and many other vessels have chosen to turn away and take a different route around Africa, starkly increasing their fees and expenditure.
The large global economic toll of Houthi attacks
15% of the world’s shipping goes through the Red Sea and the Bab-al-Mandem Strait, which are in close proximity to the large swaths of land that the Houthis reside in. The economic toll of the Houthi attacks is felt amongst companies worldwide, yet the inability of the international community to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, something the Houthi themselves have admitted as being the key thing to persuade them to stop the attacks, shows the dubious incompetency of today’s global institutions, which are said to be the unity of today’s world.
Here is a list of the major international companies affected by the Houthi attacks:
Autos
• Geely: China’s second-largest automaker by sales said on December 22 that its electric vehicle (EV) sales would likely be impacted by a delay in deliveries.
• Michelin: Four factories in Spain owned by the French tyre maker halted output on January 20-21 due to raw materials delivery delays.
• Suzuki: The company’s Hungary production plant restarted manufacturing on January 22 as planned following a halt the previous week due to delays in the arrival of Japanese-made engines. It said shipping routes were changed to pass around Africa, which could affect pricing.
• Tesla: The US-based electric vehicle maker will suspend most car production at its factory near Berlin from January 29 to February 11 due to a lack of components caused by shifts in transport routes.
• Volvo: The Swedish automaker said on January 12 that it would halt production at its Belgian plant for three days due to delays.
Energy
• BP: The oil major on December 18 said it had temporarily paused all transits through the Red Sea.
• Equinor: The company said on December 18 that it had rerouted vessels that had been heading towards the Red Sea.
• Edison: The energy group’s CEO said on January 25 that it was starting to experience a slowdown in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from Qatar.
• Qatar Energy: The world’s second-largest exporter of LNG has stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea, although production continues, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told the Reuters news agency on January 15.
• Shell: The British oil major suspended all shipments through the Red Sea indefinitely, the Wall Street Journal reported on January 16.
• Valero Energy: The US refiner said on January 25 that the Red Sea attacks have led to a rise in freight rates for crude oil.
Logistics
• DHL: The German logistics company, which does not operate ships but uses them to transport containers, on January 8 advised customers to take a close look at how they manage inventories.
• FedEx: The US parcel delivery giant said on January 14 that it hadn’t seen much of a shift to air freight due to disruptions in the Red Sea.
Retailers
• Adidas: CEO Bjorn Gulden said on February 1 that shipping disruptions in the Red Sea were negative for gross margins, adding that “exploding” freight rates were driving up costs and shipping delays were causing some delivery issues.
• Danone: The French food group said in December that most of its shipments had been diverted, increasing transit times. Should the situation last beyond 2–3 months, Danone will activate mitigation plans, including using alternate routes, its spokesperson said.
• Ikea: The furniture retailer is sticking to planned price cuts despite increased costs and has sufficient stocks to absorb any supply chain shocks, it said on January 15.
• Marks & Spencer: The British retailer’s CEO said on January 11 that the company is expecting some slight delay in clothing and home deliveries due to the disruption to shipping.
• Next: The British clothing retailer’s CEO on January 4 said sales growth would likely be moderated if disruptions continued through 2024.
• Pepco: The Poundland owner warned on January 18 that its supply could be impacted in the coming months if the disruptions continue.
• Primark: Associated British Foods’ finance director said on January 23 that Primark is coping with disruptions by adjusting timings and stock flow.
Source: Al Jazeera
MQ-9 Reaper drone worth 30 million, two already down by the Houthis and now likely a third
In a statement, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed that “Yemeni air defences were able to shoot down an American plane (MQ9) with a suitable missile while it was carrying out hostile missions against our country on behalf of the Zionist entity.” He added, “The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to take more military measures and carry out more qualitative operations against all hostile targets in defence of beloved Yemen and in confirmation of the position.”. Although US authorities have not yet confirmed the downing of its reaper drone, it may be very well possible, as the Houthis have shot one down before.
Footage from the area coincides with the Houthi claim; however, so far, there have not been any videos or pictures of the wreckage itself. If it were true that the Houthis had downed a US MQ-9 reaper, it would not have been the first time a MQ-9 reaper was downed by the Houthis, but the second since the start of the genocide in Gaza. In November, the Houthis released a statement saying that their “air defences were able to shoot down an American MQ9 aircraft while it was carrying out hostile monitoring and spying activities in the airspace of Yemeni territorial waters and within the framework of American military support for the Israeli entity.” Footage was also shown showing the downing:
Although it is true that the United States had never acknowledged the incident in November, anonymous defence officials told Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin that the MQ-9 was intercepted using a Houthi SA-6 SAM system. The Houthis had already proven in 2019 that they are capable of downing a reaper drone, so if it’s true they have downed one again, it would be the third time and not surprising.
The Houthi wave will be taken into account the next time a genocide in Gaza is imminent
There were no indications by any of the administrations or intelligence agencies in the world that the Houthis would carry out this level of disruption before it happened. The Houthis have saidtime and time again that they will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. The attacks against the Houthis as retaliation have only made them more united and stronger. The Houthi influence amongst the provinces they administer has only gone up, and they have shown that they have a military force that can adapt to US and UK aggression. Once the genocide in Gaza ends and if the Houthi attacks stop as a result, it is likely that both the UK and US will take into account the danger that another Israeli offensive in Gaza could bring on an international scale. The Houthis have grown their military equipment stockpile, number, and influence a lot more since the war with Saudi Arabia and the UAE ended. It is a real possibility that in the period after this genocide in Gaza, they will be able to gain even stronger capabilities, increasing their missile stockpile and drone capabilities. This will only pressure the West to halt the actions of Israel earlier in a future conflict.
