Houthis Level a Threat at 64 Shipowners for Violating Israeli “Blockade”

The Houthi militants in Yemen are continuing their pressure campaign, reporting they have warned 64 shipowners of the consequences of continuing to call in Israeli ports. The group’s media officer sent a message to major news outlets reporting that they have served sanction notices on the shipping companies.

According to the notice, the sanction notices were sent to the shipowners in late July after the Houthis resumed their campaign against shipping. At the beginning of the month, the campaign began with two Greek-owned bulkers, targeted and sunk, with several seafarers killed. It largely dashed hopes in the shipping community that some resumption of sailing through the Red Sea would be possible.

The group says the companies that were notified of the sanctions were because their vessels “violated the naval blockade” imposed on Israel. “These vessels are hereby prohibited from transiting the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea, and will be subject to targeting when they fall within the reach,” the Houthis said.

The sanction notices, the group says, were warnings, and the “companies of the violating vessels shall bear the consequences.” They write that the notices were to help companies “avoid the risks” of violating the Houthis’ ban on Israel.

The Houthis, however, warn that the sanctions “may be expanded to include entities engaged in dealings with” the companies violating their sanctions.

They have issued these types of propaganda warnings before to the shipping companies, but 20 months after the first attack, the threat remains against shipping in the region. The EUNAVFOR operation Aspides remains active in the region and over the weekend highlighted that a French frigate had completed another protection mission with a photo of a large CMA CGM containership as well as a command visit photo aboard the Greek frigate supporting the efforts.

The Houthis’ military arm posted an online warning this week, highlighting that it was tracking ship movements between Egypt, Turkey, and Israel and citing by name nine ships it said were violators of the embargo. It included ships of Maersk, MSC, and Yang Ming among the list of vessels that it said had called at Israeli ports.

There have been no further reports of attacks after the sinking of the Magic Seas and the Eternity C in early July.