Discuss how the current phase of Red Sea shipping attacks differs from prior threats posed by Somali pirates in the region. What impact will it have on India?

Introduction:

— Red Sea, one of the most significant shipping routes in the world, is seeing tensions rise as a spillover of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. — The situation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, has escalated due to recent attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants.

Body:

— The Houthis are a rebel group locked in a civil war with the Yemen government for almost a decade. Houthi militants from Yemen have attacked or seized commercial ships 12 times. 

— These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices.

— Between 2000 and 2016, Somali pirates posed a continual threat to trade ships in the Gulf of Aden (into which the Red Sea opens in the south via the Bab al-Mandab Strait), the Guardafui Channel (near the point of the Horn of Africa), and the Somali Sea.

— Unlike the attacks by the Houthis, the Somali pirate actions had no overt political agenda or goals, and were essentially hijackings for ransom.

— From 2016 to 2022 there were no pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden area, and from being an HRA (High Risk Area) it had been designated an HSA (Heightened Security Area).

Impact on India

— Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about Iran-backed Houthi terrorists attacking several commercial ships in the Red Sea as part of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

— Ports, Shipping and Waterways secretary T K Ramachandran said the problems in the Red Sea will have “no impact” on India’s maritime trade with the rest of the world.

— The Indian Navy is continuing to monitor the maritime security situation in the North and Central Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Conclusion:

— The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, often known as the “Gate of Tears” in Arabic, connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It connects Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.

— The group is named after the Houthi tribe. The Houthis are Zaydi Shias backed by Iran, while the Yemen government has the support of Iran’s biggest rival Saudi Arabia and the West.