Attacked 4 times in 24 hours! Situation in the Red Sea escalates again

According to reports, on August 13, local time, the US Central Command posted on social media that in the past 24 hours, US Central Command forces had destroyed two Houthi armed ships in the Red Sea. In addition, on August 12, local time, according to the Houthi armed forces, the US and British forces carried out joint air strikes on Hudaydah province in western Yemen.

Earlier, according to the British Maritime Trading operator (UKMTO), last week, a crude oil cruise ship reported four attacks in the waters near the Yemeni port of Mocha within 24 hours.

It is understood that the ship was approached by two small boats, which fired a rocket and exploded near the cruise ship (45 nautical miles south of Mokadi). A few hours later, in the early hours of the morning, there was a second attack, which exploded near the ship, and the third was also approached and attacked by a small boat, followed by an unmanned surface ship and missiles, a total of four attacks.

However, according to the captain of the ship, the rockets exploded near the ship and the crew and the ship were safe. Although the identity of the attackers has not been confirmed, in view of the fact that the conflict in the region is dominated by Houthi forces, who have frequently attacked ships before, the attack may be related to Houthi forces. Maritime security officials are investigating the attack.

Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near the Red Sea since November 2023. According to Houthi earlier disclosed, from November to mid-July last year, Houthi armed groups attacked ships reached 170, but then to early August, Houthi armed groups have no record of attacking ships.

But earlier, the Houthi claimed to have attacked the USS Cole with drones in the Gulf of Aden and the USS Rabone with ballistic missiles. In addition, a number of ballistic missiles and drones were used to attack a merchant ship in the Red Sea and "accurately hit the target", but the attack was not confirmed by US officials.

However, the current events indicate that the situation in the Red Sea region is tense and that the escalation of similar attacks will continue to pose a threat to the security of international shipping. The suspension of shipping through the region or the choice of a detour to the Cape of good Hope in southern Africa has greatly increased shipping costs and affected the efficiency of international trade.

Moreover, it also affects the global coffee trade, all because the transportation of coffee beans depends almost entirely on shipping. At the same time, it will have an impact on a number of coffee-producing countries, such as the Eurasian route is affected, and the procurement of coffee from Asian countries in Europe will greatly increase the cost and time. In addition, some African coffee-producing countries are also affected by the situation in the Red Sea. For example, the port of Djibouti, which is the main import and export port of Ethiopia, is located in the Red Sea area, so import and export operations are hindered.

Earlier, global shipping giant Maersk reported that second-quarter net profit fell 45% from a year earlier, mainly due to supply chain disruptions caused by tensions in the Red Sea, which pushed up operating costs. Moreover, Maersk CEO said that due to high market demand, the situation in the Red Sea region is still grim, and global supply is expected to remain under pressure by the end of the year.