More Ships Signal No Ties to Israel to Avoid Houthi Attacks

In an effort to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, cargo ships are broadcasting that they are not affiliated with Israel. 

So far, at least 21 vessels have been signaling that they have no ties with Israel, according to data compiled on Wednesday by Bloomberg. Most of these vessels were voyaging the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.  

Compared to last week, this is a notable increase and an indication that shipping is becoming increasingly more concerned of the dangers that the Houthi militia poses to vessels transiting this vital waterway. 

Already, ship owners have come forward and stated that they will not be using the route any further. Coalition forces and a large shipping trade group have suggested that vessels avoid an area toward the southern part of the Red Sea. 

The messages are not uniform and show as the vessel’s signaled destination, for example: 

• PACIFIC MERIT - NO LINK ISRAELI
• SM OSPREY - NO RELATION TO ISRAEL
• PING HAI - CNCW_NO LINK ISRAEL
• MSXT ATHENA - VSL NO CONT ISRAEL
• VOROS - INDIA NOCON W ISRAEL
• LADA - NOTHING WITH ISRAEL

A different approach was undertaken by the 75,000-ton bulk carrier, the Lucky Asia. As the ship passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait which is located on the Red Sea’s southern end, it signaled that its crew onboard is from China. Similar messages have also previously been used by other ships. 

At least one of those vessels signaling no links to Israel, namely the Port Flang Voyager, was not close to the Red Sea area. In fact, its latest signal showed that the vessel was located off the coast of South Africa.