EVEN amid the influx of Iranian missiles and drones, Houthi propaganda is arguably the most potent weapon in the Yemeni militant’s arsenal.

As heartening as it is to see 11 crew alive after the sinking of Eternity C, the use of captive seafarers to further leverage their deadly agenda needs to be read as more than empty threats.

The Iran-backed group said in a statement on Sunday it would attack ships belonging to any company trading with Israel “regardless of the nationality of that company”. While that statement does not materially change previous targeting criteria, there has been a shift in tactics and that should be worrying more people than it seems to be.

After a seven-month period of relative calm, the Houthis sank two ships — Magic Seas (IMO: 9736169) and Eternity C (IMO: 9588249) — earlier this month.

Whereas previous attacks displayed questionable accuracy with missiles, the swarming of skiffs and a deliberate intention to sink both vessels shows a shift in tactics.

The Houthis know that these ships, at best, have a three-man security team on board. Six or seven boats was more than enough to overwhelm them.

The Houthis know that the naval presence is stretched to the point of non-existence at certain points. There was no naval asset available to help when these crews were in the water and several weeks on there is just one ship with limited capabilities back in the region.

When it comes to security you get what you pay for, but this is a market where there has been a race to the bottom. What was a $10,000 bill for security not so long ago is now down to under $1,000 in some cases, we hear.

Not all security is equal and not all shipowners should be risking these voyages, but the Houthis have proven that they have the capability and intent to overwhelm even the best prepared ship if they deem it to be a target.

Houthi activity in the southern Red Sea right now is understood to be “frantic”, according to the security teams close to the action. The assumption is that they are looking for targets to hammer home their propaganda messages.

They may not have to look too far. As of Tuesday evening there is at least one ship that has previously been targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea preparing to transit. There are several more owned by the same group.

It is a depressing prediction to be making this far into a security crisis that has so far lasted 616 days, but that is unlikely to be the last video we see of crew being held captive by the Houthis.

Richard Meade
Editor-in-chief, Lloyd’s List

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