Members will be aware of the ongoing attacks against merchant shipping in the Southern Red Sea by Houthi forces in Yemen, which remains the highest security concern facing the industry at this time.

In response to the increase of incidents, and the broadening of ships targeted by the Houthis, industry security experts from the Round Table, ICS, OCIMF, CLIA and IMCA and INTERTANKO  have revised the transit advice for the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The document below provides detailed advice on the threat in the region, and considerations on routing, vessel hardening and the use of armed guards, which should be factored into threat and risk assessments for all voyages through the affected waters.

Attacks have continued across the Southern Red Sea (SRS) and Gulf of Aden (GoA) on a near daily basis. These attacks have included anti-ship missiles, small arms fire from skiffs, drones and boardings. At least two ships have been struck by anti-ship missiles resulting in structural damage and fires. Fortunately, there have been no casualties on board any of the ships attacked. Additionally, Houthi have masqueraded as Yemeni coastguard officials ordering ships to stop. As we go to press, the bulk carrier Ruen is currently hijacked and sailing towards Somalia. It is not known if this marks a resurgence of Somalian piracy or is somehow related to the ongoing action by the Houthis.

In response to these attacks, the industry working group has developed guidance which is attached to this email.

The Houthis have not changed their statements on who their targets are, however, multiple ships with no immediate affiliation with Israel or Israeli nationals, nor having any links with the conflict in Yemen, have been attacked. Therefore, the definition of links to Israel is evidently extremely broad, and attacks to date strongly suggest that shipowners and operators should be aware of potential collateral damage when transiting the affected area.

Strikes have mostly taken place during daylight, but one ship was hit by a missile at midnight local time.

Ships have been attacked both with AIS switched on and switched off. Switching off AIS makes it marginally more difficult to track a ship but may also hinder the ability of the military to provide support or direct contact in the event of an attack.

Boardings and attempted boarding have taken place both in the SRS and in the GoA. The use of citadels has prevented the takeover of at least one ship.

For ships in transit through the area, the following is the latest advice:

• Undertake a ship and voyage specific risk assessment
• Identify a safer area (usually the central stairwell) above the waterline to be used in the event of an attack from loitering munitions (LMs)
• Undertake a drill prior to entry to reinforce the use of this area including the use of a citadel
• Keep the AIS on
• Comply with the advice in the BMP5 as far as possible
• If hailed by a naval vessel, follow the IMSC bridge cards
• Use the Maritime Security Transit Corridor
• In the event of any incident, suspicious activity, or concern:
  • Report any suspicious activity or concerns to the UKMTO at watchkeepers@ukmto.org  +44 2392 222060
  • If under attack, please contact US Naval Forces in Bahrain directly on +973 1785 3879

Please find attached the latest revised transit advice provided at Annex A.

ICS MC(23)128 – Annex A – INTERIM INDUSTRY GUIDANCE SRS GOA December 15 2023