The Houthi militia in Yemen has declared war on international maritime trade directed at Israel, and in the meantime the world community remains silent. The Ministry of Transport – through the Administration of the Shipping and Ports Authority, which is in charge of ports and the Maritime Transport Authority during emergencies – is still silent. The main casualties are the ports of Eilat, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, whose only outlet to the sea is through the city of Aqaba.
Houthi rebel naval force in action in the Red Sea
Large ports are located on the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, including the port of Aqaba, Port Said in Egypt, the ports of Salalah and Nashar in Oman, the port of Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Port in Qatar, Jebel Ali in the UAE, and the ports of King Abdullah, Djibouti, Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia.
According to shipping sources, Israel must prepare for a terrifying scenario in which the ports of Eilat, Ashdod and Haifa will be completely paralyzed because of Houthi threats from the south and the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen, and because of the threat of Hezbollah missiles from the north – which would put Israel under naval blockade, severely impair the supply of basic goods and cause the cessation of maritime trade. According to the sources, this will cause a drastic increase in prices in Israel, mainly a shortage of consumer goods and food, and in the future even vehicles.
31 threats were received by the British Maritime Trade Authority between November and December 2023 against ships travelling across the Red Sea. Most of them came from countries in the Far East and the Arabian Sea, and were forced to cross to the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is now controlled by Houthi rebels, which does not allow passage north to any ship bound for Israel. Some of the ships were hit by missile and correspondent fire, while others were forced to dock in Yemeni ports.
"Israel should attack the Houthis", Gideon Golbar, Photo: Yehuda Ben Yattach
"The Houthis are threatening to attack any ship whose destination is the State of Israel, even if it carries a foreign flag and is owned by various nationalities, and the one most affected is the port of Eilat, which is currently shut down from activity," said Eilat Port Director Gideon Golbar, calling on the government to attack Yemen.
"Israel needs to attack the Houthis, either by itself or through a coalition of several countries, and eliminate the threat to shipping lanes. It is inconceivable that a small organization would shut down the Egyptians and block shipping lanes for Israeli and foreign ships. This has implications for all world trade, there is damage to several countries, and it will only get worse."
At the head of the casualties: Egypt and Jordan
According to the regulations, the State of Israel is supposed to protect the cargo of the Israeli merchant fleet in the Red Sea.
In times of emergency, the role of the Shipping and Ports Authority is to monitor the location, destination and cargo of merchant ships around the world, and to coordinate, direct and supervise the transportation of essential and other cargo to and from Israel – through shipping companies or directly through orders, in accordance with security and economic needs. The authority is also supposed to advise the commander of the navy on all matters pertaining to the operation of the merchant fleet in war, at sea and in ports.
The shipping world agrees that Israel, along with other countries, should wake up and act against the Houthis, who threaten to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and harm any ship that maintains contact with Israel.
"Egypt could also be affected. Its entire economy depends on revenues from the Suez Canal, especially after the tourism industry in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula collapsed due to the war," the industry said.
"Jordan is also hurt. Its only outlet to the sea is in the city of Aqaba, which is neighboring Eilat and located in the same bay. Several large shipping companies have already announced that they will not sail in the Red Sea area. The same ships sail to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and to the port of Aqaba, especially since the Houthis have already fired at ships that have nothing to do with Israel."
A missile launched from Yemen, photo: AP
"Testing tools for attacking Iran"
According to Golbar, "The Chinese have an interest because they are harmed, the Egyptians and Jordanians are harmed, many Arab countries are harmed. No country should control any strait or sea passage – not the Strait of Gibraltar, the Strait of Tiran and not the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. I don't understand why Egypt is silent vis-à-vis the Houthis.
"In the past, Israel did not hesitate to enter the war because of the closure of the Strait of Tiran, and this time, too, the threat is difficult and dangerous. For Israel, this could very well be a test of tools for a future attack on Iran, which is also far from Israel."
Aqaba Port: The only maritime gateway to Jordan
20% decrease in ship entry
One of the economically damaged by merchant ships' fear of reaching the Red Sea is the port of Aqaba: the Jordanian port has experienced a 20 percent drop in ship entry since the Houthis took control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Aqaba Port stretches over 17 km and has 11 terminals, 28 berths, five logistics centres and four truck parking lots. Adjacent to it are storage areas and industrial facilities, including a refinery and huge grain silos.
The Aqaba Development Company has signed free trade agreements with Arab countries and the European Union, Canada, the United States and Singapore. The port, which is networked with roads connecting Jordan with five neighboring countries, launched a sea route linking it to the United States this year to reduce the journey time between destinations from 35 to 22 days.
As the only maritime gateway to Jordan, all its fertilizers and chemicals pass through it, raising fears of an ecological and sanitary disaster at the port due to incessant Houthi fire.
Gideon Golbar, Eilat Port Manager: "The great fear is that the Houthis will damage one of the ports in Aqaba, and then there will be a disaster not only for Israel but mainly for the countries of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and even Yemen, mainly due to the northern wind regime in the Gulf of Aqaba. If a missile or aircraft lands on the port of Aqaba, the north wind will carry everything south."
"Strategic National Property"
Eilat Port: An Alternative to Middle Eastern Ports
Since the government has declared Eilat Port "a strategic national asset and vital enterprise for the city of Eilat, which has a national interest in maintaining its competence and the volume of foreign trade passing through it," its importance increases in two main areas: political-economic, as a southern gateway open to trade and tourism from Eastern countries; and security-military, as a safe gateway and alternative to Middle Eastern ports.
This is not the first time the port has been shut down due to the closure of Egypt. In 1956, Israel took control of the Straits of Tiran in Operation Kadesh, opened them to Israeli shipping to Asia, Africa and the Far East, and the scope of activity at the port expanded. In 1967, Egypt closed the straits, and the naval blockade of Israel led to the outbreak of the Six-Day War, at the end of which the first ship, the Dolphin, entered the port gates of Eilat.
As of 2022, the Israeli-owned or Israeli-controlled fleet consists of 38 ships, eight of which fly the Israeli flag. The Israeli trade fleet includes ZIM, which owns eight container ships (with a total load of 365,11 tons). ZIM also operates ships under lease for various periods of time. Another member of the Ajax.T. Shipping, which has 986 ships (with a total load of <> thousand tons), as well as container ships and two coal bulk ships.
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