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The United Nations Security Council has called for a stop to the Red Sea attacks
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UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari in the Council’s first open meeting on Wednesday (January 3) said “no cause or grievance” justifies the continuing Houthi attacks against freedom of navigation in the Red Sea
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The World Shipping Council, International Chamber of Shipping and Baltic and International Maritime Council also appealed for an immediate stop to the Red Sea attacks
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The associations appealed to all nations and international organizations to protect seafarers and the international trade
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They also expressed gratitude to 12 nations condemning the attacks
The United Nations Security Council has called for a stop to the Red Sea attacks in its first open meeting on January 3.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said “no cause or grievance” justifies the continuing Houthi attacks against freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
He said all incidents originating in Houthi-controlled areas “must stop” and encouraged “all concerned parties” in the wider region to avoid any further escalation and de-escalate tensions and threats.
Around 18 shipping companies have rerouted their vessels around Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope to avoid the risk of being attacked, according to International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told the Security Council.
The World Shipping Council (WSC), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) also called for an immediate stop to the Red Sea attacks.
In a joint statement released on January 3, WSC ICS, and BIMCO, which represent a major portion of the global maritime industry, they appealed to “all nations 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.”
At the same time, they thanked the 12 nations for condemning the Red Sea attacks: the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Some of these countries are already part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition of 10 nations, including the US, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, established in December to address security challenges in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. OPG’s main goal is to ensure freedom of navigation for all nations while bolstering regional security and promoting prosperity.
“On behalf of our members and their seafarers and customers throughout the world, the organizations thank these 12 nations for their strong commitment to defending rules-based international order and to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks,” the organizations said.
As the 12 nations “have all stated, these attacks are unacceptable, illegal and directly threaten the freedom of navigation that is fundamental to global trade,” they added.
The statement said it is necessary to safeguard seafarers, international trade routes in the Red Sea, and the welfare of global commons such as the sea used for commercial cargo transport “by bringing all pressure to bear on the aggressors so that these intolerable attacks cease with immediate effect.”
Since late last year, Houthi militant rebels have attacked commercial vessels plying the Red Sea with the goal of ending Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip triggered by the October 7 attack in southern Israel of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
