Singapore’s government condemned the attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen after the rebels attacked and attempted to board a ship bearing the Singapore flag on the Red Sea.
According to Reuters, Houthi rebels attempted to board the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou container ship on Dec. 31, but could not due to U.S. military intervention.
In a joint statement released by the White House on Jan. 3, Singapore and 12 other signatories warned the Houthis of “consequences” against further attacks on international shipping vessels.
"One of the world's most critical waterways": White House
The Red Sea stretches from Egypt’s Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The statement noted that close to 15 per cent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, and called it “one of the world’s most critical waterways”.
This includes eight per cent of global grain trade, 12 per cent of seaborne-traded oil, and eight percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade.
The statement added that these attacks involved the attempted hijacking of affected ships, as well as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and anti-ship ballistic missiles against these vessels.
The Houthi rebels have been attacking vessels – including commercial ships – on the Red Sea, with 24 attacks since Nov. 19, 2023, according to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Jan. 2.
Due to these attacks, shipping companies including Maersk stopped using the Red Sea route, Reuters reported.
However, Maersk decided on Dec. 24 that it would resume using that route, in response to the U.S. leading a multinational operation on Dec. 19 to patrol the southern Red Sea and the adjacent Gulf of Aden, Reuters added.
No crew injured on Maersk ship
In the recent attack, the Maersk Hangzhou was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting on the Red Sea and requested assistance, Centcom said in a Dec. 31 post on X.
While responding, a U.S. Navy ship shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles, Centcom added, saying the missiles had been fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the ships.
There were no reported injuries on the Maersk ship, which was declared "seaworthy".
Centcom later said that four boats from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen allegedly attacked the ship again and attempted to board it.
U.S. military helicopters then arrived at the scene, responding to distress calls.
The helicopters sunk three of the boats and a Houthi spokesperson reportedly said at least 10 of its naval personnel were "dead and missing", according to Al Jazeera. The fourth boat escaped from the scene.
Houthi militants have said they were targeting ships with links to Israel as an act of solidarity with Hamas militants in their ongoing war with Israel, Al Jazeera reported.
As a result of the recent attack, Reuters reported that Maersk would once again avoid using the Red Sea route.
Instead, the shipping giant would reroute its vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.
"Illegal, unacceptable & profoundly destabilising"
In the White House statement, 12 countries including Singapore, Japan, Bahrain, and the UK joined the U.S. to condemn the Houthi attacks as “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising”.
Bahrain is the only country in the Middle East among the signatories; it has a “strained” relationship with Iran, which is aligned with the Houthis, according to Al Jazeera.
The statement warned the rebels of “consequences”, saying:
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways."
It added that the rerouting is causing shipping companies to incur “significant” cost and delays to deliver goods throughout the world, including “critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance”.
This came after a statement on behalf of 44 countries on Dec. 10, 2023, as well as a statement by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Dec. 1, 2023.
They called for the release of the Galaxy Leader vessel and its 25 crew members, who are being held by the Houthi militants, and condemned the Houthi attacks.
The Galaxy Leader, a Bahamas-flagged and Japanese-operated ship, was seized on Nov. 19, according to Reuters. The ship is partly owned by an Israeli businessman.
Top image from vesselfinder.com