Highlights: Houthi attacks in the Red Sea give rise to curious attempts by cargo crews to thwart them. For several days, captains have been trying to send messages to Yemeni rebels via the international AIS system. AIS is an automatic intensification system intended to make maritime navigation safer, by avoiding collisions at sea. Some crews transiting the Bab el Mandeb Strait add written messages in order to protect themselves from an attack. The UN authorizes the shutdown of AIS under certain conditions, particularly in areas affected by maritime piracy.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea give rise to curious attempts by cargo crews to thwart them. For several days, the captains have been trying to pass…

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Yemen: how cargo ships try to avoid Houthi attacks?

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea give rise to curious attempts by cargo crews to thwart them. For several days, captains have been trying to send messages to Yemeni rebels via the international AIS system, which allows ships to be identified. Freely accessible data on which RFI looked.

Indian Navy image showing the cargo ship “Genco Picardy,” attacked by the Houthis, January 18, 2024. AP

By: Olivier Fourt Follow | Grégory Genevrier Follow

AIS is an automatic intensification system intended to make maritime navigation safer, by avoiding collisions at sea. Thus, cargo ships emit written messages picked up by other boats in the surrounding area. These messages can be retrieved on a simple receiver comparable to a GPS box. The data can be displayed on a liquid crystal screen, a radar image, or can be accessed from websites such as

marine-traffic

vesselfinder

“No Israel Connection.” Screenshot from the Marine Traffic website. Message supposed to dissuade the Houthi rebels from attacking this cargo ship. © screenshot Marine Traffic

Screenshot from the Marine Traffic site showing the message sent by this tanker to protect itself from an attack. © screenshot Marine Traffic

An expert consulted by RFI states that on the AIS, we find: “

the name of the ship, its identification number with the International Maritime Organization, its destination, its route, its speed, flag (...) And all the additional information we want.

”... Some crews transiting the Bab el Mandeb Strait add written messages in order to protect themselves from an attack.

Screenshot of an AIS message, ensuring that this tanker has no connection with Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom. © screenshot marine traffic

Example is this cargo ship carrying livestock, flying the Togolese flag, which announces that “

its entire crew is Muslim

”. An oil tanker in the colors of Panama specifies that "

there are no Israelis on board and that the entire crew is Chinese

", a bulk carrier flying the flag of the Marshall Islands announces for its part that it "

has no links with Israel

" .

Ships put “All Crew Muslims” on their AIS to avoid attackshttps://t.co/bRMEsLPIzG

— FocuSeaTV (@focuseatv) February 12, 2024

It is unclear whether these measures are effective. This February 13, "

Houthi rebels targeted a Greek ship off the coast of Yemen on Monday which continued its crossing in the Red Sea towards Iran, having suffered only minor damage

", affirmed the American army which specifies that “

the two missiles were fired towards the Greek cargo ship flying the Marshall Islands flag

MV Star Iris

, which was traveling in the Red Sea, coming from Brazil

”.

In principle, the UN authorizes the shutdown of AIS under certain conditions, particularly in a hostile environment such as in areas affected by maritime piracy. This was the case in the 2010s during attacks by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, before the establishment of a corridor protected by an international force.

Yemen: how cargo ships try to avoid Houthi attacks?

Yemen: how cargo ships try to avoid Houthi attacks?

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