Houthis targeted Israeli-linked vessels. (File)
London:
According to a story that was published in the media on Tuesday, as a result of concerns over the escalation of tensions involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the British oil giant Shell has temporarily halted its transit through the main maritime route that goes through the Red Sea.
The United States and the United Kingdom carried out strikes on a large number of locations in rebel-held Yemen on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal. These strikes were carried out as a form of revenge for operations carried out by the Houthis in the Red Sea, which have caused disruptions to shipping.
The Houthis have been focusing their attacks on vessels that they believe are connected to Israel. On Friday, however, they deemed the interests of the United States and the United Kingdom to be “legitimate targets.”
An American destroyer was the target of a Houthi cruise missile that was intercepted by United States forces on Sunday. On Monday, another Houthi missile struck a cargo ship that was owned by the United States and was located in the Gulf of Oman.
According to a story published by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Shell made the decision to cease transit last week after taking into consideration concerns that a successful strike may result in a significant spill and put the safety of ship crews in jeopardy.
When AFP attempted to get a statement from the corporation, they declined to comment on the topic.
It was also stated by the Journal that in December, a tanker that was chartered by Shell was harassed by Houthi boats and targeted by a drone that was operating in the Red Sea.
Following the announcement made by British oil company BP in December that it will stop transporting oil across the Red Sea, the oil major has made its decision.
In addition, the shipping giant Maersk said at the beginning of the month that it would be rerouting vessels across Africa rather than using the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister of Qatar warned that strikes on Yemen have the potential to make the problem even more severe. He stated that tensions in the region would have an impact on exports of liquefied natural gas.
Under normal circumstances, around twelve percent of the world’s trade travels via the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which serves as the gateway to the Red Sea between southwest Yemen and Djibouti. However, as a result of the attacks by the rebels, a significant amount of shipping has been rerouted thousands of miles (kilometers) around Africa.
