Houthi Minister Says Vessels Entering Yemeni Waters Must Get a Permit First

Misfer Al-Numair, the Houthi Telecommunications Minister, said on Monday that vessels will need to secure a permit from the Yemeni Houthi-led Maritime Affairs Authority before entering Yemeni waters.

Houthis have launched several drones as well as missiles against the global commercial shipping in the waters of the Gulf of Aden from last year, around mid-November, declaring that they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The daily attacks have compelled firms into costly and lengthy diversions via southern Africa. Those have also stoked apprehensions that the Israel-Hamas war might destabilize the Middle East. The US as well as Britain forces have bombed Houthi targets in reply.

The relevant bodies are prepared to assist with the requests for permits and also identify vessels with Yemen’s Navy, and they confirm this is out of concern for their security and safety, per Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Iran-led Houthi movement, reported Al-Numair to be saying.

The territorial waters impacted by Yemen’s order extended halfway out into the 20-km wide Bab al-Mandab Strait, the relatively narrow entrance of the Red Sea, through which about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic passes on the way to or from the crucial Suez Canal.

During normal times, over a quarter of worldwide container cargo, including apparel, chemicals, auto parts, appliances, and agricultural products such as coffee, passes through the Suez Canal.

Robert Gates, the former US Defense Secretary, has said that there is enough reason for doubt that Iran-allied Houthis would bring an end to their assaults on the vessels if a ceasefire ends the Israeli major military operations ongoing in Gaza.

Hong Kong’s HGC Global Communications stated that at least four communications cables (underwater) – Seacom, Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the Europe India Gateway, and TGN-Gulf got damaged last week in the waters of the Red Sea, without mentioning the reason.

It has been estimated that the impairments have impacted almost 25% of the data traffic that flows under the Red Sea. In a statement, the company said it devised a strategy to reroute the traffic.

On Saturday, Al-Numair’s ministry blamed the U.S. and British attacks for damaging the cables. On Monday, in the most recent event, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said that it received a report that a vessel was damaged due to two explosions 91 nm southeast of Aden. There were zero reported casualties, and the vessel had begun proceeding to the scheduled next port of call.

Yemen has been mired in conflicts since late 2014, especially from the time the Houthis had ousted the government from Sanaa (the capital).

The Saudi Arabia-headed coalition intervened in 2015, striving to restore its government.

References: The Print, Reuters

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