Greece Issues Advisory For Commercial Vessels, Urges Caution In Yemeni Waters

Greece has reportedly advised the commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to avoid sailing in the Yemeni waters, keep necessary crew members on the bridge, and follow alerts issued by maritime authorities to steer clear of attacks in the zone.

Shipowners from Greece control approximately 20% of the commercial vessels in the world in terms of their carrying capacity. An advisory from the shipping ministry was made public on Saturday, as the most recent attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis on ships have compelled leading shipping majors to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid sailing in the Suez Canal, which is the shortest shipping channel between Asia and Europe.

Per a document viewed by Reuters, ships should conduct fire drills to carry out regular safety equipment checks before they reach the Yemeni shores and are advised to sail via the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the southern Red Sea at night.

The Houthis control much of Yemen and say that shipping attacks are a response to the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip. They have also mentioned that they will go on until Israel halts the offensive.

The attacks have reportedly started taking their toll on worldwide trade and prompted the U.S. to introduce a multinational operation for safeguarding commerce in the Red Sea.

Greece is in discussion with the E.U. and the U.S. officials and stands ready to take part in international initiatives for maritime security, government officials mentioned on Wednesday, citing Christos Stylianides, the Greek Shipping Minister.

Reference: Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News