US organized naval task force against Houthis suffers a setback; Red Sea channel’s threat, blockade continues

More Shipping lines have announced the curtailing of their services through Red sea channel even as the Houthi rebels have announced intensification of their attacks to include US ships. Meanwhile the proposedNavaltask force organized by the United States to counter the rebels attack suffered a setback since Saudi Arabia which borders the Red sea is not keen joining the group

Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and Hong Kong’s OOCL said they would avoid the Red Sea, the latest shipping companies to do so after attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group on vessels disrupted global trade, prompting the establishment of a naval task force.

Hapag-Lloyd said it would reroute 25 ships by the end of the year from the key waterway as freight rates and shipping stocks have increased because of the disruption. Avoiding the Red Sea and Suez Canal means following a far longer route around Africa.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have been attacking ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea for weeks in what they say is a response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Several countries that agreed to the participation in the  United States led coalition have signalled they do not expect to send much naval power to the region while Saudi Arabia, which borders the Red Sea, was not listed as taking part.

In a fresh development the Houthi leaders have threatened to escalate attacks to include U.S. naval ships, raising the prospect of a wider conflict around the Bab al-Mandab strait.