THE HOUTHI attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea have raised fears that no vessels traversing the Bab el Mandeb strait are safe as targets appear to be struck without clear cause.

The militants claimed responsibility for two attacks on Mediterranean Shipping Company boxships Friday and a Hapag-Lloyd vessel was also hit.

The attacks on the three vessels, none of which have any apparent links to Israel, raise the total to 10, including six in the past week.

A Panama-flagged bulk carrier attacked earlier this month also had no links to Israel, while a boxship attacked the same day was only linked through a charter to Zim that ended in 2021.

Maritime security analyst Ian Ralby said the Houthis are mainly concerned with fighting the West and elevating themselves to global prominence.

“They are well practiced in creating chaos. This is an opportunity for them to elevate their chaos to a global stage,” he told Lloyd’s List.

“I think we are looking at probably more erratic attacks. Anything they can link either to Israel or to one of Israel’s supporters is fair game for the Houthis.

“And even if they get it wrong, they just do not care.”

A spokesperson for the militant group, Yahya Sare’e, said the militants carried out the attacks against MSC Alanya (IMO: 9785483) and MSC Palatium III (IMO: 9336165).

“They were en route to the Israeli entity and were targeted by two suitable naval missiles,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Neither the 11,500 teu Alanya nor the 2,500 teu Palatium III have a history of trading in Israel, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows, and no public information suggests this is where they were sailing to.

Lloyd’s List understands that Palatium III was struck by a missile, while Alanya initially turned around following a Houthi warning.

Alanya is now heading north but has not transmitted an Automatic Identification System signal since 0458 hrs GMT. The ship was travelling from Djibouti to Jeddah at the time.

Palatium III is still actively transmitting AIS and is sailing into the Gulf of Aden after doing a U-turn.

Hapag-Lloyd’s 15,000 teu Al Jasrah (IMO: 9732321), also without Israel links, was hit by a projectile, causing a fire but no injuries to crew.

It is possible that some ships were not the intended targets. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for some of the more puzzling strikes, such as against Al Jasrah or AOM Sophie II, a Panama-flagged bulker attacked on December 3.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced they will halt all voyages through the Red Sea.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence risk and compliance head of product Rosanna Boyle said Maersk removing its vessels from the region was “hugely significant” and other companies may do the same.

“There is a clear and present danger to the lives of seafarers and crew,” she said.

Risk Intelligence Middle East and North Africa analyst Kais Makhlouf said the Houthis will have to dig deeper for Israel links as the attacks continue.

“The Houthis’ problem is that the longer they keep this on, the fewer obvious targets they are going to have, because everybody exposed will re-route. They will have to search further and further for links to Israel,” he told Lloyd’s List.

The Houthis still claim the Red Sea is safe for international shipping.

Sare’e said: “Yemeni armed forces reassure all ships heading to all ports across the world, except for these [that] are heading to Israeli ports, that they would be safe and must [ensure] keeping [their] identifying device open.”

Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows fewer AIS gaps this year than last. Between November 14, the day the Houthis first threatened passing Israel-affiliated ships, and December 13, some 64 AIS gaps have either opened or closed in the Red Sea. This figure was 78 in 2022.

It is possible the 2023 figure will be revised in the coming days when new data become available, but it shows no significant spike in dark activity as the situation has escalated.

Fewer vessels approaching from the Gulf of Aden are turning off their AIS, while slightly more vessels are going dark on the southbound voyage through the Red Sea.

There has been a notable increase in the number of AIS gaps recorded by containerships, and the data show a shift in opening and closing locations, suggesting more vessels are trying to clear the Bab el Mandeb while off the radar.