Yemen’s Houthis, who are waging war against shipping, are trying to get hold of more advanced missiles from Russia.
The Iran-backed rebels — who have been attacking Western vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for nearly a year — are trying to source P-800 Oniks or Yakhont missiles through Iran, according to a report by Reuters.
Russia has not yet decided to transfer the missiles, the report added.
The missiles are more advanced than the Iranian technology that the Houthis are currently using, Eos Risk Group analyst Martin Kelly told TradeWinds.
“[The missile] is supersonic up to Mach 3, has a range of about 300 km and a 300 kg warhead,” he said, adding that its speed makes it more challenging for naval vessels to intercept.
“The missile will likely be launched from Hodeidah or Sana’a, which means it would only take anywhere from 90 seconds to reach ships in the Red Sea.
“In that time, warships must identify weapon release, classify as hostile and conduct SAM [surface-to-air missile] engagement — which is challenging.
“The missile will likely have a sort of Electronic Protection Measures [system] to protect the missile from decoys and/or jamming, and may conduct a weave during the terminal phase in a bid to evade interception attempts.”
The missile’s range of 300 km means vessels could be targeted at greater distances.
The Houthis have been attacking ships deemed to have direct links to Israel, the UK or the US since the end of 2023, killing several seafarers and sinking and damaging a series of vessels.
Owners and operators have been forced to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding time and cost to voyages.
A Greek-owned tanker, the 163,800-dwt Sounion (built 2006), was attacked in August. The crew abandoned the ship, which was later planted with explosives by the Houthis.
A salvage operation is underway on the Delta Tankers suezmax.
In June, a Ukrainian cargo ship, the 11,400-dwt Verbena (built 2008), was hit with anti-ship missiles and abandoned.
In the same month, the Evalend-managed 82,000-dwt Tutor (built 2022) was sunk after being targeted in the Red Sea. One crew member was killed.
Kelly emphasised that the missile transfer is not yet a done deal, and Moscow may be reluctant to deplete its stockpile after recent Ukrainian success in attacking Russian weapons storage depots.
The logistics of transferring the missiles to Yemen would also be tricky.
“They can reach Iran via the Caspian Sea,” Kelly said, but their route after that would be precarious.
