Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to announce the formation of an international naval coalition as early as Monday to guarantee the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in general, and the Bab al-Maneb maritime chokepoint in particular. Iranian proxy Houthis have attacked at least ten commercial vessels in Yemen since the Israel-Hamas War erupted on October 7. Two of those ships that have been seized are held by pirates affiliated with the Houthi.
About 10 percent of the world’s sea traffic goes through the Red Sea. Rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope lengthens the trip by about twelve days, adding considerable cost to freight and disrupting supply chains. The frequency of the attacks has led two of the world’s largest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, to order their ships to avoid the Red Sea until further notice; see Major Shipping Lines…
