Recent developments in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways suggest that the threat to international shipping from Yemen's Houthi rebels is growing, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
In a briefing on the situation in Yemen, Grundberg warned of the real danger of a devastating regional escalation following new Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and the Israeli air strikes on Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel.
"I remain deeply concerned about the continued targeting of international navigation in the Red Sea and its surrounding waterways," Grundberg said. "Recent developments suggest that the threat against international shipping is increasing in scope and precision."
Meanwhile, despite the risk of Houthi rebels atack, some ships are still opting for the Red Sea route, noticed the website marinetraffic.com experts .
"It was larger, international container ships that were being targeted [by the Houthis]," Emily Stausboll, a senior shipping analyst at the Denmark-based Xaneta consultancy, said, adding “despite the risk of attack, smaller operators had decided they could still traverse the Red Sea "reasonably safely."
China and Russia were also told privately by the Houthis that their vessels would not be touched, news agency Bloomberg reported in March. The attacks have also been less severe on shipping carrying commodities on bulk carriers and tankers, instead targeting container ships.