A fire aboard a ship near Bab al-Mandab: UKTMO
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The British Maritime Trade Operations Department reports a fire onboard a ship near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
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This photo released by the Yemeni Media Center shows Yemeni Armed Forces escorting the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP)
The British Maritime Trade Operations Department said a fire broke out on board a ship near the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the Yemeni coast.
The administration stated on its website that the incident took place 15 miles west of the port of Mokha in Yemen, and is currently under investigation. Additionally, it was reported that all crew members of the affected ship were safe.
This statement coincided with the announcement made by the official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, who posted on the X platform, "An important statement from the Yemeni Armed Forces in the coming hours."
In a related context, the Director General of the Port of Eilat, Gideon Golber, confirmed, according to Sputnik reports, which cited Israeli Channel 13, that Yemen's threat of Israeli-bound ships had "disrupted 80% to 85% of the port’s profits."
Moreover, the Israeli Army Radio quoted Golber as saying that the Yemeni threat to the Red Sea maritime routes "led to the loss of the port by about 14,000 cars from the middle of last month until today.”
Channel 13 further reported, in a report, that “the volume of imports coming from the East to Israel is estimated at approximately 350 billion shekels, equivalent to 95 billion dollars annually.”
This comes after Sanaa announced that it will prevent ships heading to Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, from passing through the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea if they do not enter the Gaza Strip, which needs food and medicine.
Yemen prevents 'Israel'-bound ships from passing
Earlier on Sunday, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced the introduction of a new actionable decision in support of Gaza, which will see the prohibition of all ships bound to the occupation entity, regardless of their nationality, from passing through the Arabian and Red Seas until food and medicine sufficient to the needs of the population enter the besieged Strip.
In a statement, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree declared that this prohibition is "effective immediately," noting that Sanaa, "out of its commitment to the safety of maritime navigation, warns all ships and companies against dealing with Israeli ports."
Footage of the #Yemeni Armed Forces capturing the Israeli-owned ship, #GalaxyLeader, in the #RedSea yesterday. pic.twitter.com/AjKWido2OA
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 20, 2023
"The Yemeni Armed Forces emphasize their full commitment to the continuity of global trade movement through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea for all ships and all countries, except those ships associated with Israel or those that will transport goods" to the occupation entity.
It is worth noting that the spokesperson did not void the earlier equation, which constitutes that the Yemeni army will continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea until the war on Gaza stops.
