Several Norwegian ships in the area – E24

The shipping association says there are dozens of Norwegian ships in the Red Sea, where a ship was hijacked on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Yemeni was kidnapped Houthi movementHouthi movementThe Houthi movement is a Shiite Muslim rebel group from Yemen with links to Iran. The Houthi movement was the Yemeni government’s main opponent in the civil war that ravaged the country from 2015 until its end in 2022. The Galaxy Leader car cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, south of the Red Sea.

The Japanese company Nippon Yusen KK chartered the ship and reported the hijacking.

Now the rebel group from Yemen, which is closely linked to Iran, has released a video of the kidnapping, which Israel confirmed on Sunday.

This affects the industry

– We have never seen this kind of video from a non-governmental actor before, says Audun Halvorsen, director of the emergency department at the Norwegian Shipping Association, to E24.

The video reportedly shows how the Houthis use a helicopter to board the ship.

– It is a type of operation that requires experience and expertise. This is not something they have done in the past, but it is something Iran has done in the past Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf, The maritime area between Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates and Oman He says, reminding that the Houthi movement and Iran are closely linked.

Halvorsen believes it is dangerous for the jumping industry to be drawn into the conflict in this way. Moreover, he says there is reason to believe that there will be an increased international military presence in the Red Sea in the future.

At the beginning of October, this became known The United States sends the largest in the world Aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean.

– The incident affects the industry and how people think about security. There are many parties that have an interest in ensuring that disturbances do not occur in the Red Sea.

Israel will be attacked

Halvorsen also states that there are dozens of ships in the area that are either Norwegian, flying the Norwegian flag, or controlled by a Norwegian shipping company.

– There is nothing in the situation to indicate a specific threat to Norwegian shipping. Halvorsen says that the declared target of the Houthis is Israeli ships.

Al Jazeera He writes that the Houthi movement’s spokesman had previously stated that they would carry out attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea or other places they could reach.

Israel has denied any connection to the ship hijacked on Sunday, although ownership details in public shipping databases indicate it is owned by one of Israel’s richest men, Avraham “Rami” Ungar.

Do not increase risks

Halvorsen says the shipping association does not have a comprehensive view on whether Norwegian shipping companies are disposing of ships that may have other connections to Israeli interests.

– They are complex structures. We do not have a comprehensive view of the underlying ownership or all the commercial conditions surrounding all the ships operated by Norwegian shipping companies, so we cannot rule out that there are ships with Norwegian connections that also have an Israeli connection, says Halvorsen.

– The individual shipping company must conduct its own risk assessments related to this before sailing through the Red Sea or other risk areas. We are closely monitoring the situation and assisting as required.

Other than that, he says the industry assessment is that there is no particularly high risk to public shipping in the area. However, it urges actors in the region to remain vigilant, implement security measures on board ships and remain in contact with the relevant authorities.