Shipping industry associations call for action after Houthis sink second ship | Shipping news

Organizations condemn the “unacceptable situation” of attacks by Yemeni groups on ships in the Red Sea.

Leading shipping industry associations have called for action to stop Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea following the sinking of a second ship.

The organizations condemned the incidents as a violation of freedom of navigation and said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the incidents were directed against “innocent seafarers.”

“This is an unacceptable situation and these attacks must stop immediately,” said the statement from groups including the World Shipping Council, the European Community Shipowners’ Association and the Asian Shipowners’ Association.

“We call on the influential states in the region to protect our innocent sailors and to quickly de-escalate the situation in the Red Sea.”

The Yemeni armed Houthi group has been carrying out attacks on shipping routes in the region since November, saying it is an attempt to support the Palestinians and put pressure on Israel to end its war against Gaza.

In response, the United States and its allies have been attacking Houthi targets in Yemen since January.

However, the Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships if Israel continues its war on Gaza. According to Palestinian authorities, more than 37,000 people have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza since October 7.

Second ship sinks

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that the Tutor, a Greek ship targeted by the Houthis last week, appeared to have sunk.

According to shipping associations, the missing crew member of the ship was “certainly” killed in the attack on June 12.

“It is unfortunate that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply doing their job, a vital job that keeps the world warm, fed and clothed,” the statement said.

The Houthis have launched dozens of military operations against ships since November, using drones, missiles and boats loaded with explosives. The group initially said it would attack ships with links to Israel, but later expanded this to include ships with links to the US and some of its allies.

While most of these attacks resulted in no casualties, three sailors were killed in an attack on a ship flying the Barbados flag in March.

In another attack on a Ukrainian ship last week, the ship caught fire and a crew member was seriously injured.

In their statement, the shipping associations also called for the release of the crew members of the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship hijacked by the Houthis in November.