Against ship attacks

Beijing and Moscow conclude agreement with Houthis

An oil freighter attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea(Bild: AP)

According to an agency report, China and Russia have reached an agreement with the Houthi rebels in Yemen on shipping in the Red Sea. According to the Bloomberg report, the Houthis have agreed that Russian and Chinese ships can sail through the Red Sea without having to fear attacks by the Houthis.

Ships have been repeatedly attacked by the Houthis since November. According to them, the ships in question are connected to Israel. The attacks will continue until Israel ceases its siege and attacks on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Houthi in solidarity with Hamas terrorists
The Houthi rebels control parts of Yemen and its coast. They belong to the so-called "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran and have declared their solidarity with the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas unexpectedly attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,100 people and abducting around 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the Israeli army has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Freighters have to make a 6000-kilometer detour
Some of the world's most important shipping routes run through the Red Sea. Due to the attacks, most major container shipping companies are now avoiding the Red Sea, meaning they can no longer use the Suez Canal and have to take a detour of around 6,000 kilometers around the African continent on their way from Asia to Europe. According to shipping associations, this journey takes almost two weeks longer and causes considerable additional costs.

To protect shipping in the Red Sea, the USA launched the "Operation Prosperity Guardian" initiative at the end of last year, in which several countries are participating. The EU agreed on the EU mission "Aspides" in February. Austria is participating in the EU maritime mission with two officers.