SOUTH24 CENTER FOR NEWS & STUDIES
SOUTH24 CENTER FOR NEWS & STUDIES
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10-06-2024 at 8 PM Aden Time
Aden (South24)
In the over six months between November 19, 2023, and May 31, 2024, the Iran-backed Houthis attacked nearly 125 ships, including 87 commercial vessels and 38 warships, according to a survey conducted by ’South24 Center’.
Source of information: The Houthi Military Spokesperson and the US Central Command
The data, based on statements issued by the Houthi Military Spokesperson Yahya Sarea and the US Central Command on its official page, reflects the escalation of maritime tension in one of the most important waterways in the world.
Although the Houthi leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, announced on May 30, that his militia has targeted 129 ships since the start of their naval escalation in November last year, ’South24 Center‘ hasn't been able to find open sources that confirm such numbers.
These figures highlight the scale of the growing threat against international maritime navigation in the region, and its global security, political, and economic ramifications, especially its impact on the situation in Yemen.
According to the ‘South24 Center ‘survey, the Houthi attacks focused on the Red Sea (85 attacks), followed by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden (31 attacks), the Indian Ocean (eight attacks), and the Mediterranean (one attack). The Houthi militia mostly used ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles as well as kamikaze drones in their maritime operations, including Iran-made missiles or those containing Iran-sourced parts.
The past seven months have witnessed an inconsistency in the number of Houthi attacks. While January 2024 saw a high of 22 attacks, it was only in March 2024 that the Houthis exceeded that figure – with 23 attacks. Then in May 2024 again the Houthis notched up 22 attacks.
The intensity of Houthi attacks decreased in February, shortly after the American-British aerial operations were launched on January 12 that saw the joint operations hit targets and locations affiliated with the militia in some governorates in North Yemen.
Despite the ongoing airstrikes against the Houthis, the group escalated its attacks on ships, highlighting the limited impact of the Washington-led operation on the militia’s capabilities.
On June 6, the Houthis announced they had carried out joint attacks with an Iran-backed Iraqi militia group against Israeli targets.
The Houthi Leader in Yemen, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, warned that the group’s joint operations with the ’Islamic Resistance in Iraq‘ against Israel will intensify.
Houthi Military Spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said the group launched two joint military operations with the ’Islamic Resistance in Iraq‘ against the Israeli Port of Haifa. However, this was denied by the Israeli Army, according to ’Reuters’.
The Houthi military attacks on international navigation have disrupted the maritime traffic in the region and hindered the inflow of basic commodities. In addition, the attacks have led to rising costs of maritime insurance and threats against the sailors’ safety. Moreover, the attacks have caused massive environmental damage, following the leakage of vast amounts of oil from some targeted vessels, such as the British ship ’Rubymar‘ that sank off the Yemeni coast on March 2. The Rubymar went down carrying 21,000-tonnes of fertilizer, which could create ‘dead zones’ for marine life and starve coral reefs of light, environmentalists said.
Related: Houthis claim Israeli port Haifa attack with Iraqi group
Below is a comprehensive table detailing the Houthi attacks against ships, including the number of vessels targeted and their locations as well as the date of the attacks. The survey includes the links of the references upon which it relies.
No | Date | Location | Name of Ship/s | No. of Ships | Source | |
1 | November 19, 2023 | The Red Sea | GALAXY LEADER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
2 | November 23, 2023 | The Red Sea | USS THOMAS HUDNER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
3 | November 26, 2023 | The Gulf of Aden | CENTRAL PARK | 1 | US Central Command | |
4 | November 27, 2023 | The Gulf of Aden | USS MASON | 1 | US Central Command | |
5 | November 29, 2023 | The Red Sea | USS CARNEY | 1 | US Central Command | |
6 | December 3, 2023 |
The Red Sea | USS CARNEY | 4 | US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | |
M/V SOPHIE II | ||||||
7 | December 12, 2023 | The Red Sea | STRINDA | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
8 | December 13, 2023 | The Red Sea | ARDMORE ENCOUNTER |
1 | US Central Command | |
9 | December 14, 2023 | The Red Sea | MAERSK GIBRALTAR | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
10 | December 15, 2023 | The Red Sea | MSC ALANYA | 2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
MSC PALATIUM III | ||||||
11 | December 18, 2023 | The Red Sea | SWAN ATLANTIC | 2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
MSC CLARA | ||||||
12 | December 23, 2023 | The Red Sea | M/V BLAAMANEN | 2 | US Central Command | |
USS LABOON (DDG 58) | ||||||
13 | December 26, 2023 | The Red Sea | 2 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
MSC UNITED | ||||||
14 | December 28, 2023 | The Red Sea | USS MASON | 1 | US Central Command | |
15 |
December 31, 2023 |
The Red Sea | MAERSK HANGZHOU |
4 | Houthi Spokesman | |
USS LABOON | ||||||
USS EISENHOWER | ||||||
USS GRAVELY | ||||||
16 |
January 3, 2024 | The Red Sea |
CMA CGM TAGE |
1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
17 | January 6, 2024 | The Red Sea | USS LABOON | 1 | US Central Command | |
18 | January 9, 2024 |
The Red Sea |
5 |
US Central Command
| ||
19 | January 10, 2024 | The Red Sea | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
20 | The Gulf of Aden | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |||
21 | January 16, 2024 | The Red Sea | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
22 | January 17, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | GENCO PICARDY | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
23 | January 18, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | CHEM RANGER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
24 | January 22, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | OCEAN JAZZ | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
25 |
January 24, 2024 |
The Gulf of Aden and Bab Al-Mandab | Two American commercial ships |
4 |
US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | |
26 |
January 26, 2024 |
The Gulf of Aden |
2 |
US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | ||
27 | January 28, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | LEWIS B PULLER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
28 |
January 31,2024 | The Gulf of Aden | KOI |
2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | USS GREELEY | |||||
29 | February 1, 2024 | The Red Sea | A British commercial ship | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
30 | February 6, 2024
| The Red Sea | STAR NASIA | 2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
MORNING TIDE | ||||||
31 | February 12, 2024 | The Red Sea | STAR IRIS | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
32 | February 15, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | LYCAVITOS | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
33 | February 17, 2024 | The Red Sea | POLLUX | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
34 |
February 19, 2024 |
The Gulf of Aden |
3 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
35 | February 20, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | MSC SILVER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
36 | February 22, 2024 |
The Gulf of Aden |
ISLANDER |
2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | An American destroyer | |||||
37 | February 25, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | TORM THOR |
2
| Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | An American destroyer | |||||
38 |
March 4, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | MSC SKY |
2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | American warships | |||||
39 | March 5, 2024 | The Red Sea
| Two American destroyers | 2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
40 | March 6, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | M/V TRUE CONFIDENCE | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
41 |
|
The Gulf of Aden |
PROPEL FORTUNE |
2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | American warships | |||||
42 | March 12, 2024 | The Red Sea | PINOCCHIO | 1 |
| |
43 | March 15, 2024
|
The Red Sea |
5 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
An American destroyer | ||||||
The Indian Ocean | 3 Israeli and American ships | |||||
44 | March 19, 2024 | The Red Sea | MADO | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
45 | March 23, 2024 | The Red Sea
| M/V HUANG PU | 1 |
US Central Command | |
46 | The Gulf of Aden | MAERSK SARATOGA |
6 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
The Red Sea | APL DETROIT | |||||
The Red Sea | HUANG PU | |||||
Toward Israeli ports | PRETTY LADY | |||||
The Red Sea | Two American destroyers | |||||
47 |
March 28,2024 | The Red Sea | A ship affiliated to the Coalition |
2
|
US Central Command | |
An American warships | ||||||
48 | April 6, 2024 | The Red Sea | A ship affiliated to the Coalition | 1 | US Central Command | |
49 |
| The Red Sea |
3 |
US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | ||
The Indian Ocean | MSC GRACE F | |||||
The Arabian Sea | MSC GINA | |||||
50 | The Gulf of Aden | YORKTOWN | 1 | US Central Command | ||
51 |
| The Gulf of Aden |
MSC DARWIN |
4 |
Houthi Spokesman | |
MSC GINA | ||||||
MAERSK YORKTOWN | ||||||
An American warship | ||||||
52 | The Gulf of Aden |
3 |
US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | |||
An American destroyer | ||||||
The Indian Ocean | MSC VERACRUZ | |||||
53 | The Gulf of Aden | MSC DARWIN | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | ||
54 |
| The Red Sea |
2 |
US Central Command and the Houthi Spokesman | ||
55 |
April 29, 2024 | The Red Sea | 2 American destroyers |
4 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | CYCLADES | |||||
The Indian Ocean | MSC ORION | |||||
56 |
May 9, 2024 | The Gulf of Aden | MSC DEGO |
3 | Houthi Spokesman | |
MSC GINA | ||||||
The Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea | MSC VITTORIA | |||||
57 |
May 15, 2024
|
The Red Sea |
USS MASON |
2 | Houthi Spokesman | |
DESTINY | ||||||
58 | May 18, 2024 | The Red Sea | M/T WIND | 1 | US Central Command | |
59 |
May 24, 2024 | The Arabian Sea | MSC ALEXANDRA |
3 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Red Sea | YANNIS | |||||
The Mediterranean | ESSEX | |||||
60 |
May 27, 2024 |
The Indian Ocean |
LAREGO DESERT
|
5
|
The Houthi media | |
MSC MECHELA
| ||||||
The Red Sea | MINERVA LISA | |||||
2 American destroyers | ||||||
61 | May 28, 2024 | The Red Sea | MV LAAX | 1 | US Central Command | |
62 | May 29, 2024 | The Red Sea | MOREA SEALADY |
6 | Houthi Spokesman | |
The Arabian Sea | ALBA MAERSK HARTFORD | |||||
The Mediterranean | MINERVA ANTONIA | |||||
63 | May 31, 2024 | The Red Sea | US AIRCRAFT CARRIER | 1 | Houthi Spokesman | |
Total |
125 | |||||
