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EU Naval Force Strongly Urges Ships to Take a Further Course in the Indian Ocean
The EU Naval Force has issued a strong advisory to ships operating off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, stressing the necessity to follow a more easterly route to avoid the long-range offensive capabilities recently demonstrated by Sana’a government forces.
In a directive published on social media over the weekend, the European naval force suggested that commercial vessels operating in the region should “establish an alternative sea route no less than 150 nautical miles [280 km] east of current shipping lanes.”
Norwegian newspaper “TradeWinds” reported that the EU’s issuance of this warning “comes in the wake of a drone attack earlier this month by Houthi rebels on the 2020-built 14,900 TEU containership MSC Orion.”
The newspaper quoted the organization “TradeWinds” as saying that Sana’a government forces managed to cause damage to the MSC vessel, considering it “conclusive evidence of the Houthis’ ability to strike areas beyond the Gulf of Aden.”
It was revealed that the ship was sailing approximately 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) southeast of Socotra Island and over 300 nautical miles from the Horn of Africa when the attack occurred.
The United Nations Maritime Force stated, “This attack confirms that potential attacks can occur in the Indian Ocean up to 800 nautical miles from areas controlled by the Houthi rebels in Yemen,” according to the newspaper.
According to the Norwegian newspaper, the EU Naval Force also recommended implementing “random alterations in course and speed during maritime navigation, in addition to adopting a more restrictive AIS policy to reduce positional exposure,” indicating concerns over the capabilities of Sana’a government forces in target identification and accuracy of hits.
Since late last year, Sana’a government forces have begun targeting Israeli and Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red and Arabian Seas before extending their operations into parts of the Indian Ocean.
Sana’a forces state that their operations against “Israel” will continue until the latter ends the genocide in Gaza and lifts the blockade.
In response, the United States and the United Kingdom launched airstrikes on Yemen, prompting Sana’a government forces to announce that their operations would target American and British commercial and military vessels in retaliation for what they termed “the American-British aggression.”
On May 3, Sana’a government forces announced through their spokesperson, Yahya Saree, in a statement, the commencement of what they called “Phase Four of Escalation,” and that they would target Israeli or Israeli-affiliated ships in the Mediterranean Sea if the latter dared to invade Rafah.
On February 19, 2024, the European Union announced the launch of a military operation named “Aspides,” led by Italy in the Red Sea, while the United States launched an operation called “Guardian of Prosperity,” both aimed at countering the attacks launched by Sana’a government forces against “Israel.”
