Walking the plank

On November 19, 2023, a helicopter operated by the Houthi-controlled Yemeni navy hovered over the vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader, passing through the Red Sea.

- David Harvey

Masked and armed men rappelled down to the deck, raised Yemeni and Palestinian flags, and directed the ship to the nearby port of AI Hudaydah. Galaxy Leader has remained there ever since.

Following that, a number of ships suffered direct hits from missiles or drones, though no crew members were injured. Some shipping companies began to reroute, avoiding the Red Sea, although the journey around the Cape of Good Hope is at least 10 days longer. Recently, one ship hit by a missile sank in the Red Sea.

The raids are being carried out by Houthi militants, officially known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), a Shia Islamist political and military organisation that emerged in the 1990s. They now control large parts of Yemen, particularly along the Red Sea coast, and are effectively the country's de facto governing power.