Red Sea Map Shows Where Attacks on Vessels Have Taken Place

A map of the reported attacks and possible encounters with militants in the Red Sea shows there were 17 incidents between the start of November and last Friday, as news of further suspected attacks emerged on Monday.

Several commercial cargo ships have been attacked with drones and missiles, or boarded, in that period, open-source intelligence suggests, as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen vowed to attack ships thought to be heading to Israel.

It comes as the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (MTO), which polices the trade route in an effort to deter piracy, recorded three incidents in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—between Yemen, Eritrea and Djibouti—on Monday.

On Friday, two of the world's largest shipping companies—Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd—said they were temporarily pausing shipments of goods through the region, while oil giant BP announced its own pause on Monday over the attacks. The BBC reported that ehas also suspended Israeli cargo shipments via the Red Sea "until further notice."

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is on a key maritime trade route connecting the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal. The attacks have prompted concerns that global supply chains could be disrupted.

The MTO reported a "possible explosion" on Monday morning, 30 nautical miles to the south of Mokha, a port in Yemen, two nautical miles from where the Swan Atlantic, an oil and chemicals carrier, was traveling. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the vessel had been attacked by multiple projectiles and an American warship had responded.

In a statement released a short while ago, Yahya Sarea, spokesperson for the Houthi military, wrote that the Swan Atlantic and the MSC Clara container ship were targeted by two seaplanes "after their crews refused to respond to calls from the Yemeni naval forces."

He claimed for "all ships heading to all ports around the world, except for Israeli ports, that no harm will befall them."

The MTO said that it had received a report of a vessel experiencing an explosion on its port side, 24 nautical miles northwest of Mokha, though Newsweek couldn't immediately verify if this was the MSC Clara.

It also said a "craft with several armed personnel onboard" was reported approaching a vessel 24 nautical miles to the southeast of Mokha; after warning shots were fired, the craft changed course away from the vessel.

The MTO recorded another incident 63 nautical miles northwest of Djibouti, though it is as-yet unclear if this was an attack.

When approached for comment, a British Royal Navy spokesperson told Newsweek that while the MTO "routinely provides maritime security information notices to merchant vessels," it would be "inappropriate to comment further on specific incidents."

The Houthis say they are targeting ships believed to be heading to and from Israel, in a bid to pressure the Israeli government into a ceasefire in its war with Hamas. Israel has so far refused to call a ceasefire and it continues with its ground invasion and airstrikes following Hamas' deadly attacks in southern Israel on October 7.

The map of recent incidents, compiled by Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher who writes about strategic threats, shows that drone attacks on ships in the strait were reported on five separate occasions between December 3-6.

The Galaxy Leader was boarded by Houthi rebels on November 19. As of December 5, Reuters reported the ship had been taken to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, where the crew were detained.

The Strinda, a Norwegian oil tanker, was hit by a Houthi missile on December 11, as it was stopping at an Israeli port in January, but it was then bound for Italy. Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder at the time described the actions as "dangerous" and "destabilizing."

On Friday, the Al Jasrah, owned by Hapag-Lloyd, caught fire after it was struck by a projectile, thought to also be a drone.

Several other ships have been ordered to change course for Yemen, while suspicious vessels have been reported approaching carrier ships in the Gulf of Aden.

Update 12/18/23, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a Royal Navy spokesperson.