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Middle East Eye
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel scrambles to address maritime insurance freeze after Houthi attacks, sources say
Israel has approached marine insurers about the status of war risk coverage for vessels with indirect ties to Israel amid concerns that back-to-back Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could hurt traffic at the port of Haifa, two shipping sources have told Middle East Eye. In early July, Yemen's Houthis launched a sophisticated and multi-pronged attack on The Magic Seas and The Eternity C, two Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged vessels in the Red Sea. Both vessels were sunk by the group, officially known as Ansar Allah. The attacks were the largest in scope, and firepower, since the Houthis began targeting ships in the Red Sea in November 2023 in what they say is solidarity with besieged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "There is a big discussion in the market right now whether insurers should cover vessels with even indirect connections to Israel," one of the shipping sources told MEE. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "This is not good for Israel. The optics are damaging. The Israelis have spoken to insurers and shipping companies." Israel was alarmed after Eternity C's US-based insurer, Travelers, decided not to extend war risk coverage on the vessel before its passage in the Red Sea. The decision is likely to leave the Greek operator, Cosmoship Management, with losses of around $20m based on the estimated value of the vessel. It also means that ship owners and operators could eschew calling at Israeli ports for fear of not obtaining coverage in the future. "Vessels are going to start to avoid calling at Israeli ports. It's not about getting hit by the Houthis, but the chance of not being insured," a maritime security official told MEE. "Does a secondary or tertiary link to Israel mean you can be denied coverage?" 'The Houthi strategy is to attack vessels without getting the US drawn in' - Mohammad al-Basha The Eternity C had no direct link to Israel, but Cosmoship vessels regularly called at Israeli ports last year. The CEO of Stem Shipping, the owner of Magic Seas, acknowledged that his vessels sometimes call at Israeli ports also. There are multiple layers to maritime insurance. Underwriters are able to levy additional premiums on vessels transiting a list of designated areas viewed as high on "war risk". The list is drafted by Lloyd's of London's Joint War Committee. Vessels are required to notify their insurers before travelling in these areas. In the case of Eternity C, Travelers refused to provide additional coverage to the vessel, Lloyd's List, an insurance journal, reported. The Houthi attacks prompted many vessels, especially container ships, to avoid the Red Sea route between Asia and Europe in favour of the longer journey around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. However, dry bulk carriers, tankers and many Chinese vessels have continued to transit the Red Sea. Pressure from Israel to restart attacks The Houthis stopped attacking vessels in January when a short-lived truce between Hamas and Israel was in effect. Israel unilaterally withdrew from the ceasefire in March, and the Yemeni group started firing missiles at Israel, although they refrained from maritime attacks. US President Donald Trump then began a widespread bombing campaign against the Houthis that lasted until 6 May. Trump's decision to stop the strikes came in response to lobbying by Saudi Arabia, the Houthis' former foe, MEE revealed at the time. Exclusive: US intelligence suggests Russian military is advising Houthis inside Yemen Read More » The agreement was framed as one between the US and the Houthis only. Oman, which mediated between Washington and the group, said that "neither side will target the other" but said it included commitments for the "smooth flow of international commercial shipping". Roughly two weeks after the agreement, the Houthis said they were imposing a "maritime blockade" on the Israeli port of Haifa. "This was never a written ceasefire. It is an understanding and specific only to the US. The Houthi strategy is to attack vessels without getting the US drawn in,' Mohammad al-Basha, a Yemen analyst at the Basha Report risk advisory firm, told MEE. The Houthis largely sat out the recent conflict between Israel and the group's reported patron, Iran, following Israel's surprise attack on the Islamic Republic in June. Basha said that the attacks earlier this month were likely coordinated with Tehran. "The attack was clearly intended to send a message when Netanyahu was at the White House. The message from Trump would be that you [Netanyahu] are a distraction and headache," Basha said. The attacks on the two Greek vessels took place between 6 and 7 July, just before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. Israel said it bombed Houthi-controlled ports and a previously captured cargo vessel in between the attacks. A US official confirmed to MEE that Israel has asked the US to resume striking the Houthis. "There is a lot of pressure from the Israelis but no appetite at the moment in the administration to resume operations. US vessels have not been attacked," the US official told MEE.
9 News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- 9 News
Crew abandons ship in Red Sea after 'drone boat' attack
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel overnight as it took on water, marking the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a months-long campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels there. Suspicion for the attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas immediately fell on the Houthis, particularly as a security firm said it appeared bomb-carrying drone boats hit the ship after it was targeted by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels' media reported on the attack but did not claim it. It can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge an assault. Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. (AP) A renewed Houthi campaign against shipping could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after US President Donald Trump targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign. And it comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most-sensitive atomic sites amid an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. "It likely serves as a message that the Houthis continue to possess the capability and willingness to strike at strategic maritime targets regardless of diplomatic developments," wrote Mohammad al-Basha, a Yemen analyst at the Basha Report risk advisory firm. The US carried out strikes in the Red Sea in March. (AP) The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre first said that an armed security team on the unidentified vessel had returned fire against an initial attack and that the "situation is ongoing." It described the attack as happening some 100km south-west of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country's Houthi rebels. "Authorities are investigating," it said. It later said the ship was on fire after being "struck by unknown projectiles." Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant ship had been "attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea." Ambrey later said the ship also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation. It said two drone boats struck the ship, while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. The US Navy's Middle East-based Fifth Fleet referred questions to the military's Central Command, which said it was aware of the incident without elaborating. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen's exiled government opposing the Houthis, identified the vessel attacked as the Magic Seas and blamed the rebels for the attack. The ship had been broadcasting it had an armed security team on board in the vicinity the attack took place and had been heading north. "The attack also proves once again that the Houthis are merely a front for an Iranian scheme using Yemen as a platform to undermine regional and global stability, at a time when Tehran continues to arm the militia and provide it with military technology, including missiles, aircraft, drones, and sea mines," al-Eryani wrote on the social platform X. The Magic Seas' owners did not respond to a request for comment. The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted met "the established Houthi target profile," without elaborating. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees US$1 trillion ($1.53 trillion) of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the US launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel. On Sunday, the group claimed launching a missile at Israel which the Israeli military said it intercepted. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a wider, decade-long war in Yemen between the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains in a stalemate. The Yemeni Coast Guard, which is loyal to the exiled government, has engaged in a firefight with at least one vessel in the Red Sea in the past as well. Pirates from Somalia also have operated in the region, though typically they've sought to capture vessels either to rob or ransom their crews. But neither the Yemeni Coast Guard nor the pirates have been known to use drone boats in their attacks. 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Los Angeles Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Crew abandons Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned ship attacked in the Red Sea, UK military says
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel Sunday night as it took on water, marking the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a monthslong campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels there. Suspicion for the attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas immediately fell on the Houthis, particularly as a security firm said it appeared bomb-carrying drone boats hit the ship after it was targeted by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels' media reported on the attack but did not claim it. It can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge an assault. A renewed Houthi campaign against shipping could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Trump targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign. And it comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most-sensitive atomic sites amid an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. 'It likely serves as a message that the Houthis continue to possess the capability and willingness to strike at strategic maritime targets regardless of diplomatic developments,' wrote Mohammad al-Basha, a Yemen analyst at the Basha Report risk advisory firm. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center first said that an armed security team on the unidentified vessel had returned fire against an initial attack and that the 'situation is ongoing.' It described the attack as happening some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country's Houthi rebels. 'Authorities are investigating,' it said. It later said the ship was on fire after being 'struck by unknown projectiles.' Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant ship had been 'attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.' Ambrey later said the ship also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation. It said two drone boats struck the ship, while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred questions to the military's Central Command, which said it was aware of the incident without elaborating. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen's exiled government opposing the Houthis, identified the vessel attacked as the Magic Seas and blamed the rebels for the attack. The ship had been broadcasting it had an armed security team on board in the vicinity the attack took place and had been heading north. 'The attack also proves once again that the Houthis are merely a front for an Iranian scheme using Yemen as a platform to undermine regional and global stability, at a time when Tehran continues to arm the militia and provide it with military technology, including missiles, aircraft, drones, and sea mines,' al-Eryani wrote on the social platform X. The Magic Seas' owners did not respond to a request for comment. The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted met 'the established Houthi target profile,' without elaborating. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel. On Sunday, the group claimed launching a missile at Israel which the Israeli military said it intercepted. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong war in Yemen between the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains in a stalemate. The Yemeni Coast Guard, which is loyal to the exiled government, has engaged in a firefight with at least one vessel in the Red Sea in the past as well. Pirates from Somalia also have operated in the region, though typically they've sought to capture vessels either to rob or ransom their crews. But neither the Yemeni Coast Guard nor the pirates have been known to use drone boats in their attacks. Gambrell writes for the Associated Press.
Leader Live
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Crew members abandon ship after Red Sea attack
The attack marks the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a months-long campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels there. Suspicion for the attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas immediately fell on the Houthis, particularly as a security firm said it appeared bomb-carrying drone boats hit the ship after it was targeted by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels' media reported on the attack but did not claim it. It can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge an assault. A renewed Houthi campaign against shipping could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign. And it comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following US air strikes targeting its most-sensitive atomic sites amid an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. 'It likely serves as a message that the Houthis continue to possess the capability and willingness to strike at strategic maritime targets regardless of diplomatic developments,' wrote Mohammad al-Basha, a Yemen analyst at the Basha Report risk advisory firm. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre first said that an armed security team on the unidentified vessel had returned fire against an initial attack and that the 'situation is ongoing'. It described the attack as happening 60 miles south west of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country's Houthi rebels. 'Authorities are investigating,' it said, later adding that the ship was on fire after being 'struck by unknown projectiles'. Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant ship had been 'attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea'. Ambrey later said the ship also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation. It said two drone boats struck the ship while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the ship was taking on water and its crew were abandoning the vessel. The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted met 'the established Houthi target profile'. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees 1 trillion dollars of goods move through it annually.
Powys County Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Crew members abandon ship after Red Sea attack
Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea have abandoned the vessel after it took on water. The attack marks the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a months-long campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels there. Suspicion for the attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas immediately fell on the Houthis, particularly as a security firm said it appeared bomb-carrying drone boats hit the ship after it was targeted by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels' media reported on the attack but did not claim it. It can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge an assault. A renewed Houthi campaign against shipping could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign. And it comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following US air strikes targeting its most-sensitive atomic sites amid an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. 'It likely serves as a message that the Houthis continue to possess the capability and willingness to strike at strategic maritime targets regardless of diplomatic developments,' wrote Mohammad al-Basha, a Yemen analyst at the Basha Report risk advisory firm. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre first said that an armed security team on the unidentified vessel had returned fire against an initial attack and that the 'situation is ongoing'. It described the attack as happening 60 miles south west of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country's Houthi rebels. 'Authorities are investigating,' it said, later adding that the ship was on fire after being 'struck by unknown projectiles'. Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant ship had been 'attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea'. Ambrey later said the ship also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation. It said two drone boats struck the ship while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the ship was taking on water and its crew were abandoning the vessel. The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted met 'the established Houthi target profile'. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees 1 trillion dollars of goods move through it annually.
