Houthis warn German ships over Red Sea as vessel reports nearby missile strike

DUBAI: A vessel 60 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's Aden reported on Monday a missile splashing into the sea in its close proximity, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
UKMTO added that the vessel and its crew were safe.
The same vessel was passing through the Red Sea 25 nautical miles west of Yemen's Mokha on Sunday when it reported a missile splashing into the sea nearby, UKMTO said.
The attack comes as the Houthis continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Houthis theartened to hit vessels of German shipping firms passing near the Red Sea or using Israeli ports, the German shipowners’ association VDR said Monday.
The emailed warnings sent to the German industry body and cargo carriers in recent months were “attempts at intimidation,” VDR executive Irina Haesler said.
The threats were “directed against ships that call at Israeli ports, as well as against those that pass through the Red Sea, the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean,” the association said.
“Regardless of their location, ships with supposed links to Israel are considered potential targets,” it said.
One such email from the Houthis, seen by AFP, warned German shipowners of “a naval blockade on the Israeli enemy.”
It said “all vessels belonging to it, associated with it or bound for it” would be “subject to punishment and ... prohibited from crossing the area of operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces.”
A VDR spokeswoman told AFP the authenticity of the emails had been confirmed by the German navy and International Chamber of Shipping.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The militia maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
In the Houthi's last attack on Nov. 11, two US Navy warships targeted with multiple drones and missiles as they were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the attacks were not successful.