WSC, BIMCO and ICS commend joint international statement on Red Sea attacks

A statement, jointly issued by the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the United States, condemned the ongoing attacks, describing them as unacceptable, illegal and directly threatening the freedom of navigation that is fundamental to global trade.

The WSC, ICS and BIMCO collectively thanked these 12 nations for their strong commitment to defending rules-based international order and to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks, on behalf of their members and their seafarers and customers throughout the world.

“The shipping associations call on all nations and international organisations to protect seafarers, international trade in the Red Sea, and to support the welfare of the global commons by bringing all pressure to bear on the aggressors so that these intolerable attacks cease with immediate effect,” the joint statement concluded.

The Motorship notes that non-state actors based in Yemen have been conducting a campaign coordinating attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea since late 2023, which has led to the suspension of transits via the Suez Canal and Red Sea by a number of ship owners and operators, and the diversion of shipping around the Cape. The establishment of a naval taskforce, Operation Prosperity Guardian, and the deployment of a larger number of naval to the area, as well as the recent sinking of a number of Houthi vessels by a US naval vessel on 1 January, are expected to increase the risks incurred by Houthi vessels to conduct attacks on international shipping.