The Increasing Threats to the Strategic Sea Trade Routes near Yemen
Recent incidents off Yemen coastline and the Bab al-Mandab strait such as the attack on the oil tanker MT MUSKIE last week, indicate an increased threat level to shipping from maritime terrorism and piracy
Dr. Shaul Shay
| 04/06/2017
Photo: EU NAVFOR
On May 31, 2017, Houthi militants attacked the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MT MUSKIE in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The militants fired RPG-7, rocket-propelled grenades at the tanker before breaking off their assault. At the time of the attack, the vessel was on its way to Jeddah in Saudi Arabiya.
The MUSKIE is an oil products tanker built in 2003 and currently sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. MUSKIE has an overall length of 221m and a beam of 32m. Its gross tonnage is 42771 tons.
The attack occurred near Perim Island, a few kilometers off the coast of Yemen and the site of a lighthouse for ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab. The Perim Island has been controlled by Saudi-led coalition forces since 2015 when they seized it from Yemeni Houthi rebels.
The EU Naval Force said in a statement that the attack did not appear to have been launched by pirates and was likely related to the "continuing instability at sea off the coast of Yemen."
The president of the revolutionary committee of the Houthi movement denied in a statement on Thursday that rebel fighters are linked to the attack on a tanker ship near the Yemen coast earlier the same day. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said the attack is a United States plot and that his troops were not involved. He blamed the US-backed Arab coalition for the incident because it occurred in its areas of control.
The Houthi rebels control most of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, although a government offensive launched at the beginning of the year has pushed them away from the strait itself.
Since 2015, strategic sea trade routes near Yemen have come under increasing threats. The Saudi-led coalition has patrolled the waters off Yemen to enforce a blockade of rebel-held areas since it launched a military intervention in support of the government in March 2015.
The Attack on Galicia Spirit Gas Tanker
On October 25, 2016, Unknown assailants opened fire on the LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker Galicia Spirit. The attack on the Galicia Spirit occurred near Perim Island, a few kilometers off the coast of Yemen. The vessel suffered minor damage with no injuries to the crew.
The skiff that engaged in an attack on the Galicia Spirit using small arms was also carrying a substantial amount of explosives. When the skiff was approximately 20m from the vessel, the explosives detonated, destroying the skiff and ending the attack.
An LNG vessel has a double skin, but if the explosives were enough to penetrate the main hull, then it is certainly possible that damage would have been done to the inner skin and gas could have escaped and ignited.
Vessels near Yemen’s southern coast have been attacked in recent months by Houthi militants. In September and October 2016, two US warships and a United Arab Emirates vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory. The United States carried out cruise missile strikes on October 15, 2016, against radar sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen after two confirmed attempts to hit a US Navy destroyer with coastal cruise missiles close to the Bab al-Mandab. The Houthi movement has denied firing on the USS Mason.
In January 2017, the rebels attacked a Saudi frigate off the Yemeni coast killing two sailors in what the coalition said was the first attack by an unmanned craft.
The Somali Pirates Threat
There has also been a resurgence in attacks on shipping in the area by Somali pirates in recent months.
On May 30, 2017, suspected pirates in a skiff attacked a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, MT NAVIG8 Providence, in the Gulf of Oman and were driven off by the ship's security, the European Naval Force said. "There was an exchange of small arms fire between the suspected pirates and the maritime security team on board the tanker," the maritime force, known as EU NAVFOR, said in a statement.
Summary
A civil war is raging in Yemen between the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, backed by troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the internationally recognized government of Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and a coalition of ten countries.
Houthi militants have launched successful maritime attacks in the area before. The MT MUSKIE incident is the first attack on a commercial ship since October 2016. Recent incidents off Yemen coastline and the Bab al-Mandab strait, indicate an increased threat level to shipping from maritime terrorism and piracy.
In March 2017, the head of US Central Command, General Joe Votel, warned that coastal defense missiles, radar systems, mines and explosives boats deployed by the rebels posed a threat to shipping in the Strait.
The incident has wider implications. Iran's backing of the Houthi rebels necessarily raises comparisons between the Bab al-Mandab situation and the significant choke point in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz and Iran is watching how the Trump administration and the Saudi coalition respond to the incident.
Recent incidents off Yemen coastline and the Bab al-Mandab strait such as the attack on the oil tanker MT MUSKIE last week, indicate an increased threat level to shipping from maritime terrorism and piracy
Photo: EU NAVFOR
On May 31, 2017, Houthi militants attacked the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MT MUSKIE in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The militants fired RPG-7, rocket-propelled grenades at the tanker before breaking off their assault. At the time of the attack, the vessel was on its way to Jeddah in Saudi Arabiya.
The MUSKIE is an oil products tanker built in 2003 and currently sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. MUSKIE has an overall length of 221m and a beam of 32m. Its gross tonnage is 42771 tons.
The attack occurred near Perim Island, a few kilometers off the coast of Yemen and the site of a lighthouse for ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab. The Perim Island has been controlled by Saudi-led coalition forces since 2015 when they seized it from Yemeni Houthi rebels.
The EU Naval Force said in a statement that the attack did not appear to have been launched by pirates and was likely related to the "continuing instability at sea off the coast of Yemen."
The president of the revolutionary committee of the Houthi movement denied in a statement on Thursday that rebel fighters are linked to the attack on a tanker ship near the Yemen coast earlier the same day. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said the attack is a United States plot and that his troops were not involved. He blamed the US-backed Arab coalition for the incident because it occurred in its areas of control.
The Houthi rebels control most of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, although a government offensive launched at the beginning of the year has pushed them away from the strait itself.
Since 2015, strategic sea trade routes near Yemen have come under increasing threats. The Saudi-led coalition has patrolled the waters off Yemen to enforce a blockade of rebel-held areas since it launched a military intervention in support of the government in March 2015.
The Attack on Galicia Spirit Gas Tanker
On October 25, 2016, Unknown assailants opened fire on the LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker Galicia Spirit. The attack on the Galicia Spirit occurred near Perim Island, a few kilometers off the coast of Yemen. The vessel suffered minor damage with no injuries to the crew.
The skiff that engaged in an attack on the Galicia Spirit using small arms was also carrying a substantial amount of explosives. When the skiff was approximately 20m from the vessel, the explosives detonated, destroying the skiff and ending the attack.
An LNG vessel has a double skin, but if the explosives were enough to penetrate the main hull, then it is certainly possible that damage would have been done to the inner skin and gas could have escaped and ignited.
Vessels near Yemen’s southern coast have been attacked in recent months by Houthi militants. In September and October 2016, two US warships and a United Arab Emirates vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory. The United States carried out cruise missile strikes on October 15, 2016, against radar sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen after two confirmed attempts to hit a US Navy destroyer with coastal cruise missiles close to the Bab al-Mandab. The Houthi movement has denied firing on the USS Mason.
In January 2017, the rebels attacked a Saudi frigate off the Yemeni coast killing two sailors in what the coalition said was the first attack by an unmanned craft.
The Somali Pirates Threat
There has also been a resurgence in attacks on shipping in the area by Somali pirates in recent months.
On May 30, 2017, suspected pirates in a skiff attacked a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, MT NAVIG8 Providence, in the Gulf of Oman and were driven off by the ship's security, the European Naval Force said. "There was an exchange of small arms fire between the suspected pirates and the maritime security team on board the tanker," the maritime force, known as EU NAVFOR, said in a statement.
Summary
A civil war is raging in Yemen between the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, backed by troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the internationally recognized government of Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and a coalition of ten countries.
Houthi militants have launched successful maritime attacks in the area before. The MT MUSKIE incident is the first attack on a commercial ship since October 2016. Recent incidents off Yemen coastline and the Bab al-Mandab strait, indicate an increased threat level to shipping from maritime terrorism and piracy.
In March 2017, the head of US Central Command, General Joe Votel, warned that coastal defense missiles, radar systems, mines and explosives boats deployed by the rebels posed a threat to shipping in the Strait.
The incident has wider implications. Iran's backing of the Houthi rebels necessarily raises comparisons between the Bab al-Mandab situation and the significant choke point in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz and Iran is watching how the Trump administration and the Saudi coalition respond to the incident.
