Four seafarers killed in an attack in the Bab el-Mandeb strait

Four seafarers have been killed in an attack on a merchant ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, off the Yemeni coast. Three of the victims were Pakistani nationals, the fourth Indonesian. The incident was reported by the British maritime security firm Vanguard and by the shipping surveillance agency Ukmto.

After the first attack a Yemeni navy unit came to the ship's aid. It was fired on in turn and one serviceman was injured.

The pro-Saudi government, which controls part of the country, attributes responsibility for the action to Houthi militiamen. According to the Reuters agency, if that account is confirmed these would be the first deaths caused by rebel attacks in this stretch of sea.

Bab el-Mandeb is the obligatory passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and therefore the southern gateway to the route towards the Suez Canal. Any interruption of traffic at that point forces shipping companies to choose between the risk and sailing round Africa, which lengthens delivery times and raises the cost of goods bound for Europe.

A truce that no longer holds

The attack comes as Yemen's civil war has reignited after years of truce. The conflict sets forces backed by Saudi Arabia against the Houthi militias aligned with Iran, and has already passed through several phases of escalation and suspension.

What differs from the past is the human toll of such incidents. Attacks on commercial shipping in the region had so far caused mainly material damage, rerouting and higher insurance premiums. The death of four crew members shifts the problem onto another level, that of the safety of the people working on board.

Who actually opened fire has not been independently confirmed so far. Still to be clarified are the ship's flag, the cargo it carried, and the course of the second attack, the one against the military unit that came to help.