In an article in The Telegraph newspaper, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps called for the need to protect the Red Sea from attacks Ansar Allah Houthiswarning of the huge losses caused by this crisis.
Shapps said that the situation in the Red Sea is very dangerous, considering that “even though it is thousands of miles away from our country, it affects everyone in Britain.”
He considered the crisis “a test for the international community. If we do not protect the Red Sea, this will encourage those who look to threaten elsewhere, including the South China Sea and the Crimean Peninsula.”
He added, “We need to stand firm with our allies and principles and with the innocent people caught up in these events.”
Shapps said 12 international companies had to suspend traffic through The Red Seaincluding BP and commercial shipping giant Maersk.
He pointed out that container shipping ships, as well as oil and chemical tankers, are now forced to circumvent 5,000 miles around the continent of Africa to reach Europe and other places.
He warned that this was causing long delays and disruption to global supply chains and rising prices in stores, due to increased insurance costs for international shipping, which had multiplied 10 times since early last month.
Sailors are in danger
According to Shapps, Houthi attacks – which increased by 500% from last November to December – endanger the lives of innocent sailors, exacerbate the humanitarian suffering in Yemen, and destabilize the wider region.
“London hosts the International Maritime Organization, which means we play a leading role in international maritime security and will continue to condemn unlawful and unprovoked attacks on commercial ships in the strongest terms,” the minister said.
In this context, Shapps stated that his country joined an international force in the region that included the United States and others in what was called “Guardian of Prosperity AllianceTo ensure freedom of navigation in the region.
The British minister warned that the Houthis had recruited thousands of tribal fighters to form a popular army in preparation for a possible conflict with Israel.
He talked about a British warship shooting down an attack drone early last month that targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea. This was the first time that the British naval fleet had shot down an air target in more than 30 years.
The destroyer HMS Diamond – which launched the Sea Viper missile to destroy the drone – was sent to the Red Sea to reinforce international efforts aimed at keeping one of the most important waterways in the world open, according to the writer.
