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 Suez Canal
- About: The Suez Canal is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe and connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and further to the Indian Ocean.
- It is particularly important for the transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) with about nine million barrels of oil per day shipped through the Suez Canal in the first half of 2023
- 17000 ships go through the Suez Canal every year carrying approximately $1 trillion worth of goods.
About Operation Prosperity Guardian
- It is a multinational security initiative launched by the US to counter the growing number of attacks against Israel-bound international traffic.
- Coalition includes the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Seychelles, apart from the U.S.
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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
December 26, 2023
