The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is calling for an end to Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The IMO — which regulates global shipping as part of the United Nations — issued a resolution as part of its Maritime Safety Committee meeting in London in late May. In that resolution, it labeled the ongoing attacks on ships in the Red sea as “illegal and unjustifiable,” and called on Houthi leaders to engage in a “peaceful dialogue” to end the crisis. The IMO’s resolution also marks the first instance of the group addressing the issue since the attacks began.
“IMO Member States are unequivocal in their condemnation of these reckless attacks,” IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said. “The maritime industry sustains the supply chains that are the lifeline of nations and populations around the world —
innocent seafarers and commercial ships trading essential supplies should be free to navigate, unhindered by geopolitical tensions.”
Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza date back to November of 2023, when the group seized control of the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel and took the ship’s crew hostage. The IMO says there have been at least 50 other attacks on vessels moving through the Red Sea in the months that followed, while the Galaxy Leader‘s 25 crew members have yet to be released.
With no end to the crisis in sight, ocean carriers have said they expect Red Sea shipping disruptions to persist for most of 2024. In the meantime, ships have had to reroute thousands of miles around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to avoid the conflict zone.
