US tries to persuade shippers to sail through Red Sea despite Houthi attacks
THE United States military is trying to reassure shipping companies that a multinational force is making it safe to sail through the Red Sea and Suez Canal even though attacks from Yemen-based Houthi rebels show no sign of stopping.
The Pentagon is “engaged with industry on a near-daily basis to gauge needs and provide reassurance that the international community is there to help with safe passage”, said air force Lieutenant-Colonel Bryon McGarry, a defence department spokesperson for the Middle East and Africa, on Thursday (Dec 28). So far, that is not proving enough for most shipping lines to gamble that a drone or missile aimed at their vessels will not be one that gets past the defences.
“It will take a little while for shippers to get a sense about the security situation,” noted Mark Cancian, a retired marine officer and senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “If it turns out that the US and the coalition can maintain safe passage, then I think they’ll come back. But right now they really can’t be sure.”
Cancian said in an interview that some shippers will remain more risk-averse than others. “Ones that have connections with Israel might be more reticent.”
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have said that they are targeting ships linked to Israel to show support for Palestinians, though ships without direct links to Israel have also been singled out.
On Thursday, the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, shot down a missile and a drone over the southern Red Sea, according to US Central Command. “There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries,” it said in a Thursday night post on X, the former Twitter.
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Half of the container-ship fleet that regularly transits the Red Sea and Suez Canal is avoiding the route now because of the threat of attacks, according to new industry data. Many tankers and container ships are resorting to the longer – and costlier – route around the southern tip of Africa, which may lead to higher prices for oil and a variety of consumer goods.
AP Moller-Maersk, the world’s No 2 container line, said it is preparing to resume Red Sea passages “as soon as operationally possible”. But it cautioned that “the overall risk is not eliminated in the area”. It added that it would “not hesitate” to re-evaluate the safety situation for its vessels and employees.
Gene Moran, a defence analyst and retired navy captain, once commanded the USS Laboon, the destroyer that shot down four drones in the Red Sea last Saturday. From his perspective, the shipping companies are still looking for the American-led coalition to do more.
“This method doesn’t appear to address the cause of the threat,” said Moran. “The Houthis are able to operate from the uncontrolled portions of Yemen. Something will need to be done about that. We seem to be moving very gingerly when the conditions seem to call for a more forceful response.”
But the Biden administration has been reluctant to take action that could turn Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip – which began after that group’s Oct 7 assault on Israel – into a broader regional conflict. Shipping companies may share that concern.
“If the United States were to start shooting at Houthi camps, that would arguably increase the risk, not decrease it,” Cancian noted. “So I don’t think the shippers are particularly anxious to start that.”
The Pentagon has said that the Red Sea security initiative it is leading – named Operation Prosperity Guardian – brings together forces from the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, Spain, Australia and Greece as well as some other nations that do not want to be named.
Yet the military has not spelt out details of how it will operate.
Major-General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said earlier this month that the coalition will function as a “highway patrol” in the sea.
Moran observed that the mixed nature of the threat, which includes potential attacks from drones, missiles and small boats, makes it more challenging to respond because not all the ships participating in the force will have the same capabilities as the US ships. For now, the operation will continue indefinitely.
“We are not putting a timeline on this operation,” said McGarry, the Pentagon spokesperson. “We’ll stand firm with our partners in the region for as long as it takes until the threat to international shipping in these waterways has ceased.”
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