Livestock Ship Sends 'All Crew Muslims' Signal to Avoid Houthi Attack

By Patrick Sykes (Bloomberg) —

Commercial ships in the Red Sea are becoming more inventive in their attempts to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants.

Livestock carrier Cattle Force appealed to the Houthis as fellow believers in an apparent effort to ensure safe passage. As it approached the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's coast on Sunday, it changed its destination signal - something widely available on the internet for most vessels - from an Iraqi port to: 'All Crew Muslims'.

Once safely through the strait on Monday morning, it switched back to Iraq's Umm Qasr, according to tracking data analyzed by Bloomberg.

The change was a clear message to the Houthis, who claim to be targeting ships associated with Israel and its allies to exert pressure over the war in Gaza.

The Houthi campaign has disrupted global shipping and led to increased transportation costs as ships have to take detours and incur additional fees for insurance and security.

Commercial ships have previously signaled destinations like 'No Relation to Israel' to avoid being targeted by the Iran-backed militia.

Togo-flagged Cattle Force is sanctioned by the US due to its owner, UAE-based Swedish Management, which the US alleges is involved in Iran's oil and petrochemical exports. Swedish Management's website was not functioning as of Monday.

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.