Situation in the Red Sea

[TruckDriver9]

CCTV footage showing the missile strike on the buk carrier "Zografia" - attacked on January 16.

Damage done to the "Zografia" - currently undergoing repairs at the Suez Shipyard.

Suez Canal turns to ship repairs as it scrambles to plug hole in transit income

Core transit income at Egypt’s state-run waterway is shrinking as ships re-route to avoid Houthi rebels

www.tradewindsnews.com

 

[TruckDriver9]

US forces continue to deliver strikes against the Houthis.
Full text

U.S. CENTCOM Destroys Two Houthi Terrorists' Anti-Ship Missiles
On Jan. 24 at approximately 2:30 a.m.(Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch. U.S. forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense. This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.

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Meanwhile in the Red Sea, Houthis launched a missile attack against 2 US flagged Maersk vessels: Maersk Detroit and Maersk Chesapeake (both on DoD retainer) and forced them to turn around and sail back back to the Gulf of Aden.

The two ships were part of scheduled U.S. Navy “accompaniment” for a northbound transit of the Bab el-Mandeb today when they reported seeing explosions close by. Maersk said the U.S. Navy accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles. The US Navy has now rerouted the ships back to the Gulf of Aden.
(...)
The Maersk Detroit and Maersk Chesapeake are operated by Maersk Line, Limited (MLL), Maersk’s US-flag subsidiary. Both ships are enrolled in the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Maritime Security Program and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) with the U.S government.
The U.S. Central Command confirmed details of the incident in a statement posted to “X”.
“On Jan. 24 at approximately 2 pm (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated container ship M/V Maersk Detroit, transiting the Gulf of Aden. One missile impacted in the sea. The two other missiles were successfully engaged and shot down by the USS Gravely (DDG 107). There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship,” the statement said.
Maersk said the vessels are carrying cargo belonging to the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of State, USAID, and other U.S. government agencies and “is therefore afforded the protection of the U.S. Navy for passage.”
MLL has made the decision to suspend transits in the region in until further notice.

 

[TruckDriver9]

2 tankers, one of them transporting Russian cargo, report a "near miss" of anti-ship missiles in the Gulf of Aden.

Two tankers have had a near miss in the Gulf of Aden after a projectile exploded nearby, according to security sources.
The 108,953-dwt product tanker Achilles (built 2008), affiliated with India Gaurik Ship Management and transporting cargo from Russia’s Ust-Luga port, was just 1 nautical mile away from the impact.
The Oceonix Services-owned 10,9991-dwt Marlin Luanda (built 2018), operated by Trafigura and flagged with the Marshall Islands, was the other tanker. The Marlin Luanda was said to have been 10 nautical miles away from the incident.

Tanker carrying Russian cargo and Trafigura ship avoid Gulf of Aden strike

Explosion seen close to one of the ships from an apparent missile strike

www.tradewindsnews.com

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At the same time, CENTCOM reports a successful interception of an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Houthis at the USS Carney.
Full text

Houthis fire anti-ship ballistic missile toward USS Carney (DDG 64)
On Jan. 26, at approximately 1:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Gulf of Aden. The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported

 

[TruckDriver9]

That's bad news for Europe, since Qatar is one of EU's top gas suppliers.

Western Europeans yet again paying higher fuel prices for such events.

"Qatar, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, has notified Spanish power utility Endesa of a delay to an LNG cargo due to the Red Sea conflict, two industry sources told Reuters.
Attacks in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on shipping vessels are disrupting the transport of goods and commodities to European countries.
Qatar Energy recently decided to taking a longer route via the Cape of Good Hope due to the conflict, and this week informed Edison and other buyers in Europe, as well as some British terminals where it has long-term capacity, that it will delay or reschedule shipments.
“Qatar told Endesa that there will be a delay with the Al Khor tanker. The delay will be for about 10-12 days,” one of the sources said.
Al Khor, a 137,354-cubic meter vessel, loaded LNG at Ras Laffan in Qatar on Jan. 20, and is now expected to arrive in Barcelona on Feb. 23 following a more than month-long journey, LSEG data showed."

Qatar Notifies Spanish Utility of LNG Shipping Delay

Qatar, one of the world's largest LNG exporters, has reportedly notified Spanish power utility Endesa of a delay to an LNG cargo due to the Red Sea conflict.

gcaptain.com

 

[TruckDriver9]

 

[TruckDriver9]

The Oceonix Services-owned 10,9991-dwt Marlin Luanda (built 2018), operated by Trafigura and flagged with the Marshall Islands, was the other tanker. The Marlin Luanda was said to have been 10 nautical miles away from the incident.

Tanker carrying Russian cargo and Trafigura ship avoid Gulf of Aden strike

Explosion seen close to one of the ships from an apparent missile strike

www.tradewindsnews.com

Update - "Marlin Luanda" tanker was hit and caught fire.

Trafigura spokesperson confirmed that the product carrier, which the company operates, was hit by a Houthi missile.
“Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side. The safety of the crew is our foremost priority,” the spokesperson said.

Houthi strike sparks fire on Trafigura-chartered tanker in Gulf of Aden

Crew reported safe as they work to contain blaze on UK-owned ship

www.tradewindsnews.com

 

[Cooper]

"The collective West is banned from flying over Russia the largest country on Earth so all the flights going from Europe to the Far east are using mainly Chinese and Russian airlines

The collective West is siding with genocidal Israel and now they are banned from using the Red Sea so most shippings shifted towards Non-Western shipping companies > mainly Russian and Chinese ships.

Europe is putting sanctions on Russian gas and Russian oil and ends up buying gas and oil at higher prices through intermediaries, in the process making its heavy industries non/competitive which is getting Europe into a process of deindustrialisation.

The collective West will lose because they have no long term vision, their leaders are shallow and too emotional, they have no strategy and love virtue signalling and are focused on election cycles. The collective West has become void, spiritually, ethically, morally, mentally...it is emptiness adding arrogance, a mix for collapse and total failure."

 

[TruckDriver9]

Update - "Marlin Luanda" tanker was hit and caught fire.

Houthi strike sparks fire on Trafigura-chartered tanker in Gulf of Aden

Crew reported safe as they work to contain blaze on UK-owned ship

www.tradewindsnews.com

Update 2 - Reportedly, the crew of the "Marlin Luanda" tanker (carrying Russian naphtha) was unable to extinguish the fire and had to abandon ship.
US and Indian warships are responding.

 

[TruckDriver9]

^
Indian Navy published photos of the burning tanker: "Marlin Luanda".
Full text

#IndianNavy's Guided missile destroyer, #INSVisakhapatnam, deployed in the #GulfofAden responded to a distress call from MV #MarlinLuanda on the night of #26Jan 24.
The fire fighting efforts onboard the distressed Merchant Vessel is being augmented by the NBCD team along with firefighting equipment, deployed by #INSVisakhapatnam to assist the crew onboard the MV.The MV has 22 #Indian & 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard.
#IndianNavy remains steadfast & committed towards safeguarding MVs & ensuring safety of life at sea

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Update
The fire has been extinguished, the ship is sailing towards a harbour.

Statement re Marlin Luanda - Update
Updated on 27 Jan 2024 at 1200 GMT
We are pleased to confirm that all crew on board the Marlin Luanda are safe and the fire in the cargo tank has been fully extinguished. The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour. The crew continues to monitor the vessel and cargo closely.
We would like to recognise the exceptional dedication and bravery of the ship’s master and crew who managed to control the fire in highly difficult circumstances, as well as the essential assistance provided by Indian, United States and French Navy vessels to achieve this outcome.
No further vessels operating on behalf of Trafigura are currently transiting the Gulf of Aden and we continue to assess carefully the risks involved in any voyage, including in respect of security and safety of the crew, together with shipowners and customers.

 

[It_Is_My_Time]

The US military looks really weak with all this going on. Our bases are attacked, to the point there are now rumors floating around that we are going to pull out of Iraq and Syria. I saw an article today that the Marines are starting to realize the Navy may not be able to get them deployed where need be due to equipment failures and shortage of sailors to work the equipment. Now this latest attack by the Houthi's. How many times have we flown our over priced F-35's over Yemen and dropped ten's of millions of dollars of bombs on their "facilities" for them to turn around the next day and attack another shipping freighter?

The satanic elites better have their next move planned, India or China, because it is apparent the west is no longer willing to fight for satan across the globe. The Houthi's so far have made us look like a paper tiger and this will only inspire Hamas and Hezbollah to fight harder.

 

[TruckDriver9]

Houthis claim to have attacked the USS Lewis B. Puller mobile expeditionary base ship. There's no confirmation, or refutal, from the US Navy.

 

[It_Is_My_Time]

With all these attacks on US ships, AFTER we wasted millions of tax payer funded dollars on bombing them, is it possible that a combination of...

Diversity hires in "intelligence" is rendering our intelligence community useless.
The enemies of the army of satan have learned how to trick our satellites and spy planes to get us to bomb empty targets while they hide their real stuff deep in the ground/mountains.
Or potentially we are scared to fly our over priced jets into potential harms way and we purposely target unprotected empty areas to try to scare them and it is backfiring?

I knew the Houthi's would give us a run for our money, I didn't think they would make us look this weak and pathetic.

 

[TruckDriver9]

With all these attacks on US ships, AFTER we wasted millions of tax payer funded dollars on bombing them, is it possible that a combination of...

Diversity hires in "intelligence" is rendering our intelligence community useless.
The enemies of the army of satan have learned how to trick our satellites and spy planes to get us to bomb empty targets while they hide their real stuff deep in the ground/mountains.
Or potentially we are scared to fly our over priced jets into potential harms way and we purposely target unprotected empty areas to try to scare them and it is backfiring?

I knew the Houthi's would give us a run for our money, I didn't think they would make us look this weak and pathetic.

The issue isn't with the military - the Navy is (or at least should be) capable of dealing with the Houthis. It's the civilian leadership that's at fault: the passive approach to the crisis, failure to gather international support and the lack of clear goals. We've got two parallel structres in place: the OPG for defense and OPA for offense, both of which are basically US-only operations since our partners contribute little to none in terms of assets. This puts the US Navy in a tight spot, not only they have to organize zone defense in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, but also, the same time, they are suppsed to carry out preemptive and retaliatory strikes in Yemen - and since we do not have unlimited assets, which one takes priority ?
I think that the OPG should be disbanded: lets leave playing defense to the Euros (they already don't want to work under US command, and are planning their own operation) and focus the US Navy only on offensive operations with specific, clearly defined goals - it's none of our business who, or how, rules in Yemen; our attention should be focused only on curtailing Houthi's longe range strike capabilities. And the Navy is capable of doing it - establish 24/7 drone surveillance over the coastal plain (account for some of those drones getting shot down) and hit anti-ship complexes whenever they come out into the open (it's not like they can launch them from inside of a cave). And this is already going on, to some extent, and there are results - Houthis had to change their MO: their attacks are smaller in size (individual missiles/drones instead of large barrages) and less frequent. Doesn't seem like much, and it's definitely not enough to bring the shipping companies back, but it's something to build upon.

 

[LaAguilaNegra]

The issue isn't with the military - the Navy is (or at least should be) capable of dealing with the Houthis. It's the civilian leadership that's at fault: the passive approach to the crisis, failure to gather international support and the lack of clear goals. We've got two parallel structres in place: the OPG for defense and OPA for offense, both of which are basically US-only operations since our partners contribute little to none in terms of assets. This puts the US Navy in a tight spot, not only they have to organize zone defense in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, but also, the same time, they are suppsed to carry out preemptive and retaliatory strikes in Yemen - and since we do not have unlimited assets, which one takes priority ?
I think that the OPG should be disbanded: lets leave playing defense to the Euros (they already don't want to work under US command, and are planning their own operation) and focus the US Navy only on offensive operations with specific, clearly defined goals - it's none of our business who, or how, rules in Yemen; our attention should be focused only on curtailing Houthi's longe range strike capabilities. And the Navy is capable of doing it - establish 24/7 drone surveillance over the coastal plain (account for some of those drones getting shot down) and hit anti-ship complexes whenever they come out into the open (it's not like they can launch them from inside of a cave). And this is already going on, to some extent, and there are results - Houthis had to change their MO: their attacks are smaller in size (individual missiles/drones instead of large barrages) and less frequent. Doesn't seem like much, and it's definitely not enough to bring the shipping companies back, but it's something to build upon.

This right here should be the focus of some of the board's conspiracy theories. What's behind the US political elites' refusal to commit to the Yemen problem?

Obviously there is something going on behind the scenes and it's got nothing to do with Ansarallah militarily out-competing the US Navy.

This is the stuff I am talking about. Biden Administration officials saying 'they don't want to hit the Houthis too hard'.

Imo it has to do with Israel, Biden Administration does not want get sucked into a war in the Middle East again for the sake of Israel (especially not in an election year) hence the constant half-hearted attempts. What they don't seem to understand though is that this attitude invites aggression elsewhere.

 

[TruckDriver9]

Imo it has to do with Israel, Biden Administration does not want get sucked into a war in the Middle East again for the sake of Israel hence the constant half-hearted attempts.

Yeah, but this indecisiveness makes us look week and emboldens the "axis of resistance" (for lack of better term, I don't really want to call them adversaries), and this could lead to even greater threats since both: Houthis and the Iranians know that we wil not retaliate with full force, what is stop them from targeting let's say: merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz or Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti from where the Reaper drones operate.
I believe that, if we went hard on the Houthis from the very beginning (December 3 attacks), if we have demonstrated back then that we are not afraid to raise the stakes, then I think Iran would have to reevaluate the situation and put Houthis back on a leash - now to be clear, I'm not calling for the strikes on Iran, I simply mean that a little bit of brinkmanship could de-escalate this crisis before it truly began.

 

[LaAguilaNegra]

Yeah, but this indecisiveness makes us look week and emboldens the "axis of resistance" (for lack of better term, I don't really want to call them adversaries), and this could lead to even greater threats - since both: Houthis and the Iranians know that we wil not retaliate with full force, what is stop them from targeting let's say: merchant vessels in the Straits of Hormu or Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti from where the Reaper drones operate.
I believe that, if we went hard on the Houthis from the very beginning (December 3 attacks), if we have demonstrated back then that we are not afraid to raise the stakes, then I think Iran would have to reevaluate the situation and put Houthis back on a leash - now to be clear, I'm not calling for the strikes on Iran, I simply mean that a little bit of brinkmanship could de-escalate this crisis before it truly began.

To add to that theory positioned above, I am also getting the idea that the Israelis are willfully dragging out the Gaza op. They seem to be in no hurry, and are now openly talking about opening up the Northern front - something which the US has tried to avoid since October 7.

There are quite a few people in the Israeli government that see the world through a Talmudic, Messianistic lense. Hasidic Jews with a focus on Chabad Lubavitch. Their goal is to build the Third Temple, further the return of the Moshiach and create Greater Israel (whatever the real borders are). The problem is that they can't do it themselves, they need outside help to do it for them. Obviously not all in the Israeli government think like that, but many do.

In that regard the current US position is unsustainable. Some in the Israeli government are talking about extending the Gaza operation into 2025 - with maybe a few ceasefires in between. The US can't be shooting Ansarallah missiles out of the air for another year (assuming the above happens). At some point they'll have to start doing something more serious.

Imo the Biden Administration has to either choose to respond seriously, or take a step back and strike a JCPOA tier deal with the Iranians (and under the right circumstances they'll be open to it) - possibly with a roadmap for recognition of Ansarallah as Yemen's legitimate rulers. The Saudis and Emiratis would have to swallow for once but by then again they had their own Chinese mediated peacedeal with Ansarallah about a year ago. The current pussyfooting is simply going to hurt long term.

 

[Get2choppaaa]

To add to that theory positioned above, I am also getting the idea that the Israelis are willfully dragging out the Gaza op. They seem to be in no hurry, and are now openly talking about opening up the Northern front - something which the US has tried to avoid since October 7.

There are quite a few people in the Israeli government that see the world through a Talmudic, Messianistic lense. Hasidic Jews with a focus on Chabad Lubavitch. Their goal is to build the Third Temple, further the return of the Moshiach and create Greater Israel (whatever the real borders are). The problem is that they can't do it themselves, they need outside help to do it for them. Obviously not all in the Israeli government think like that, but many do.

In that regard the current US position is unsustainable. Some in the Israeli government are talking about extending the Gaza operation into 2025 - with maybe a few ceasefires in between. The US can't be shooting Ansarallah missiles out of the air for another year (assuming the above happens). At some point they'll have to start doing something more serious.

Imo the Biden Administration has to either choose to respond seriously, or take a step back and strike a JCPOA tier deal with the Iranians (and under the right circumstances they'll be open to it) - possibly with a roadmap for recognition of Ansarallah as Yemen's legitimate rulers. The Saudis and Emiratis would have to swallow for once but by then again they had their own Chinese mediated peacedeal with Ansarallah about a year ago. The current pussyfooting is simply going to hurt long term.

I could see the last paragraph happening... But it's a big ask for KSA/UAE. Good points posited here.

I legitimately am shocked this has gone on this long. The assets are in theater to neutralize the Houthi threat and I agree with your assessment that there's something else going on as to why...

Biden admin is stepping in it on ALL fronts.

 

[It_Is_My_Time]

This right here should be the focus of some of the board's conspiracy theories. What's behind the US political elites' refusal to commit to the Yemen problem?

Obviously there is something going on behind the scenes and it's got nothing to do with Ansarallah militarily out-competing the US Navy.

This is the stuff I am talking about. Biden Administration officials saying 'they don't want to hit the Houthis too hard'.

Imo it has to do with Israel, Biden Administration does not want get sucked into a war in the Middle East again for the sake of Israel (especially not in an election year) hence the constant half-hearted attempts. What they don't seem to understand though is that this attitude invites aggression elsewhere.

The Houthi's stood toe to toe with Saudi Arabia, despite us supply Saudi Arabia with top notch weapons. Is it possible that if we use our top tier fighter jets to target their real valuable assets that they have ways to defend them? I don't know. What I do know is they have already seen much of our top technology in action, we have starved their children to death, and they are still standing their screaming for us to "bring it on".

I think there is more to this that we do not know. That both sides are holding back, that both sides can do more damage, but the Houthi's have time on their side as diversity and feminism eat the west from within and the US heading into an election year doesn't want a full scale war and to have more $35 million drones shot down and more soldiers killed to support the ever more unpopular Israel

 

[Aldebaran]

To add to that theory positioned above, I am also getting the idea that the Israelis are willfully dragging out the Gaza op.

That is exactly what they are doing. The longer they drag it out, the more chance of the situation escalating.

Make no mistake, they want Americans to die for them.

 

[TruckDriver9]

To add to that theory positioned above, I am also getting the idea that the Israelis are willfully dragging out the Gaza op.

I think they've reach the limits of what could be done through maneuver warfare: there's nothing left above ground in northern Gaza (from where they withdrew their forces) only the tunnel network below remains. And since it doesn't look like they figured out how to deal with those tunnels, they're changing their approach: instead of futile attempts to tackle the tunnels head on, they're going into siege mode hoping that sooner or later Hamas will run out of supplies and abandons the underground. And for that, they don't really need to keep boots on the ground, not when Hamas is still able to bleed them in ambushes.

They seem to be in no hurry, and are now openly talking about opening up the Northern front - something which the US has tried to avoid since October 7.
There are quite a few people in the Israeli government that see the world through a Talmudic, Messianistic lense. Hasidic Jews with a focus on Chabad Lubavitch. Their goal is to build the Third Temple, further the return of the Moshiach and create Greater Israel (whatever the real borders are). The problem is that they can't do it themselves, they need outside help to do it for them. Obviously not all in the Israeli government think like that, but many do.

Considering the price (in personnel, materials and the overall economic costs) that Israel is already paying, they have no other choice but to escalate. Any ceasefire, any return to status quo will be their defeat. So they're raising the stakes.

In that regard the current US position is unsustainable. Some in the Israeli government are talking about extending the Gaza operation into 2025 - with maybe a few ceasefires in between. The US can't be shooting Ansarallah missiles out of the air for another year (assuming the above happens). At some point they'll have to start doing something more serious.

Imo the Biden Administration has to either choose to respond seriously, or take a step back and strike a JCPOA tier deal with the Iranians (and under the right circumstances they'll be open to it) - possibly with a roadmap for recognition of Ansarallah as Yemen's legitimate rulers. The Saudis and Emiratis would have to swallow for once but by then again they had their own Chinese mediated peacedeal with Ansarallah about a year ago. The current pussyfooting is simply going to hurt long term.

We've got the election season upon us - not much time for the current regime to engage in diplomacy, and with every attack in the region Biden looks weaker and weaker - not an image his handlers would like to convey in the campaign, unless they want to end like the Carter administration.