SCHIFFFAHRT | SHIPPING
SCHIFFFAHRT | SHIPPING The Dangers of Data – Risks in the Red Sea The reported use of open-source vessel ownership by Houthi terrorists has highlighted the risk that outdated or bad information poses to shipping transiting the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The onus is now on insurers to conduct far more stringent background checks than ever before The opaque world of vessel ownership has been a constant conversation topic for the maritime media for years. Whether those discussions and subsequent articles are about sanctions avoidance, tax loopholes or other matters is irrelevant for the purposes of this article. We live in a data-driven society and one in which bad data can actually place lives at risk, as innocent seafarers have found out to their cost. Houthi forces in Yemen involved themselves in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 by first launching missiles and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) towards Israel. On November 19th they hijacked the »Galaxy Leader« in the Red Sea, telling the world that they intended to prevent vessels visiting Israeli ports and would target vessels with links to Israel. Following airstrikes against targets inside Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen as a means of degrading their military capability, Houthis added vessels with Fire aboard the »Marlin Luanda« following a drone strike in the Red Sea © Sedna Global Jon Gahagan Former member of the Royal Navy Co-founder and President of Sedna Global links to the UK and U.S. to their target list. Since then, the Houthis have been responsible for the sinking of the »Rubymar« and the deaths of three crew © Indian Navy members onboard the »True Confidence«. In the first case, Houthis claimed they had attacked a »British ship«, but that was incorrect. The Financial Times tied the owner to a company in the Marshall Islands. Houthis claimed that the »True Confidence« was an »American ship«. Again, that information was incorrect. Ownership of the »True Confidence« had passed from U.S. private equity group, Oaktree Capital, around a week earlier. These are not the only incidents caused by the Houthi’s reliance on out of date or incorrect ownership details, although they are the most significant and fatal. They have highlighted the way bad data can place ships and crews at heightened risk while transiting the world’s oceanic high-risk zones. While Iran has been accused of assisting Houthi forces in their attacks on ships in the region – something Tehran continued to deny despite the deployment of an IRGC intelligence ship nearby for several months – it is likely that Houthis are also using open-source maritime vessel tracking websites in order to harvest vessel ownership details prior to their attacks. If the information on those websites is incorrect or out of date, vessels are placed at further risk. As the Financial Times reported, the previous worst attack on a vessel saw the »Marlin Luanda« suffer a significant fire onboard after missile damage on January 26th. The Houthis described the vessel as a British ship, but the ownership details are far more complex, with international investors owning the ship via a company which is registered with JP Morgan’s UK offices, because they were advised by the US investment bank. Expecting a free website to accurately determine ownership of a vessel is therefore unrealistic. On April 6th to 7th, Houthi forces fired three missiles at the »Hope Island« in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) assessed that she was likely targeted due to »outdated UK affiliation«. 38 HANSA – International Maritime Journal 07 | 2024
