Drone Attack on a Chemical Tanker off Gujarat Coast

Context: Chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto was hit by a drone attack roughly 200 nautical miles (370 km) off Gujarat coast.

Drone Attack On Ship Off Gujarat Was Fired From Iran: Report

• MV Chem Pluto is a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the new Mangalore coast.
• The drone attack is being attributed to the Yeman-based Houthi group who have recently carried out a spate of drone and rocket attacks on Israel-linked ships citing Israel’s continued aggression in Gaza as their reason.

Houthi Attacks On Ships In The Red Sea Disrupt Global Supply Chains

• Location: The Houthi attacks are mostly concentrated  in the Red Sea area, and the Bab el-Mandeb straits off the Yemeni coast.
  • The nearly 2,000-km Red Sea connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the narrow Suez Canal
• Impact: About 15% of world shipping traffic including roughly 30% of global container trade passes through the Suez Canal.
  • War risk surcharge: Every ship plying on this route risks attracting a “war risk” surcharge.
  • In light of the houthi attacks, British Petroleum paused their movements through this route,  and is taking a longer, more fuel-intensive and time-consuming route (around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope taking 34 days).
• Escalation: The Houthi rebel issued a warning “Red Sea will burn”, in response to Operation Prosperity Guardian.

Continue Reading: How Are Houthi Attacks On Ships In The Red Sea Affecting Global Economy?

About Houthis

• About: The Houthi movement (Ansar Allah movement)  is a Shia Islamist political and military organization in Yemen. 
• It predominantly comprises Zaidi Shias, with their namesake leadership drawn largely from the Houthi tribe.
• Official slogan: “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam. They are influenced by the  Lebanese Shia political and military organization Hezbollah
• Yemen Civil war: It has been fought between The Houthis backed by Iran and Hezbollah and the Yemen government backed by Saudi Arabia and the West for over a decade.  Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, including the official capital, Sanaa.

News Source: Indian Express