Bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates as experts fear Houthi alliance

The MV Ruen, with a crew of 18, posted its first distress signal on the UK maritime trade portal on Thursday. Photo: PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

A Maltese-flagged bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates is heading towards Yemen, raising fears they are collaborating with Houthi rebels.

The MV Ruen was en route from Singapore to Gemlik in Turkey when pirates landed on it in the Arabian Sea on Thursday.

It sent a distress call to the United Kingdom's maritime trade portal, saying six people had boarded the vessel off the Yemeni island of Socotra.

The tanker, which was carrying 18 people, was said to have been last seen underway. along the north coast of Portland in Somalia.

However, recent reports suggest that Rouen is moving north towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait leading to the Red Sea.

A challenging raid

Maritime experts fear the seven-year-old carrier's route is an indication that Somali pirates are working in conjunction with Houthi rebels, who have been attacking shipping routes to protest the war between Israel and Hamas.

Although While Somali piracy is a long-standing problem on the east coast of Africa, Houthi infiltration is a relatively new phenomenon.

On November 19, Houthi rebels, using a helicopter, carried out a commando raid on a Japanese-operated cargo ship, the MV Galaxy Leader, since held near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.

Notably, investors were on board the ship, Abraham «Ramy» Ungar, an Israeli tycoon.

The complexity of the raid was considered significant, along with the ship's obvious ties to Israel.

A week later, pirates attempted to seize the MV Central Park, a chemical tanker loaded with phosphoric acid.

Again, this ship was an Israeli investment.

The pirates, who were identified as Somalis, were repulsed. But within 90 minutes of their capture, ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

Like Hamas, the Houthis receive Iranian funding.

They also said they were targeting Israeli ships, which they called “legitimate targets for us anywhere.”

“A direct threat to international trade»

At the end of November, the Ministry of Defense sent the Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond to the Israeli Navy to improve security in the region.

On Saturday they shot down a drone that they believed was targeting ships in the area, especially ships bound for Israel, regardless of their owner.

“The recent wave of unlawful attacks poses a direct threat to international trade. and maritime security in the Red Sea.

“The UK remains committed to defeating these attacks to protect the free movement of global trade,” explained Grant Shapps, Defense Secretary.

Taking a new step : The US should expand its maritime defense force in response to the growing number of Houthi attacks coming from Yemen's ports.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is to announce the force deployment, tentatively dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, during his visit to the region.

The move comes as Joe Biden comes under pressure from major shipping companies to act against Houthi militants.

Several shipping companies including Hapag -Germany's Lloyd and Danish shipping giant Maersk said they would halt shipping in the Red Sea until further notice.