It was reported by Reuters today that the Indian Navy had reported on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a United States-owned vessel titled Genco Picardy. The crew had come under attack from the Houthi Rebel group in the Gulf Of Aden.
A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago.
The report also states that India had also recently diverted a warship within the region to save a 22-person crew, that included nine Indian individuals.
The Full Picture
This is yet another update in the ongoing skirmish within the Red Sea which has recently seen cargo ships come under attack by the Iranian-backed rebel group. These attacks have resulted in trade routes becoming all but inaccessible, which has led to most of the cargo ships being forced to divert their routes. For an alternative shipping route ships could use South Africa's Cape Of Good Hope but that would add 10 to 14 days to the journey. It was already reported that 18 shipping companies have rerouted their cargo ships along this route to avoid coming under fire.
The Houthi rebels themselves have stated that these attacks are in solidarity as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas which has resulted in significant damage and to repair that damage it has recently been stated that it would cost $15 billion just to rebuild the homes of those displaced as a result of the conflict.
HNGN previously reported on a statement made to the UN Security Council by United States Deputy Ambassador, Christopher Lu, in which Lu pointed out to the council that the reason the rebel group can conduct these attacks is due to Iran supplying them with money and advance weapons systems. In addition, there was a joint statement from 13 countries, of which 7 are considered superpowers, that stated "Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways". This was reported back in early January this year. President Biden has responded to these attacks with sanctions and joint military strikes with the UK. However, it seems more action might be required to bring these strikes to a halt.
