In its November 2023 monthly report, the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) of the Indian Navy highlighted a growing threat of drone attacks in the Red Sea and Northern Arabian Sea, posing concerns for commercial shipping and global trade transiting through the Indian Ocean region (IOR). The report noted five drone attacks in the first eleven months of 2023, with three incidents occurring in November alone.
Houthi rebels from Yemen have been identified as responsible for targeting vessels suspected of traveling to or from Israel in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. The increased threat in the Red Sea has prompted major shipping companies to reroute vessels to alternative paths, avoiding the volatile region.
The report emphasized the serious risks posed by these attacks, including potential loss of lives, cargo, vessel sinkings, marine environmental pollution, trade blockades (if attacks occur near chokepoints), and a subsequent increase in insurance rates affecting the global economy.
The documented attacks include a drone assault on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker CAMPO SQUARE in the northern Arabian Sea on February 10 and a rotary unmanned aerial vehicle approaching a vessel within 10 meters 130 NM SW of Salalah, Oman, on March 1. In November, three instances occurred, involving a US Navy ship downing a drone in the Red Sea off Yemen on the 15th, a drone attack reported on the Malta-flagged container ship CMA CGM SYMI in the Arabian Sea on the 24th, and a US Navy ship shooting down a drone in the Bab el Mandeb strait off the coast of Yemen on the 29th.
The report stressed that such attacks on commercial shipping raise maritime safety and security concerns for seafarers transiting through the IOR.
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