Seafarers have been told the nationality and religious affiliation of shipowners as part of measures aimed at reassuring crew before they sign up for vessels transiting the Red Sea, according to a prominent Indian ship manager.
Capt Sanjay Prashar, the chief executive of VR Maritime Services, said that few seafarers on his company’s books had declined to join ships that steamed within range of Houthi missiles in the last year.
Prashar told TradeWinds that the concerns of seafarers had largely been allayed by the presence of western navies, reports from peers via seafarer WhatsApp groups and information supplied by ship managers and authorities.
“We give as much information as possible,” said Prashar. “But for the first time in my life, I’m discussing the religion and country of the shipowner.”
He said that seafarers were concerned that the Houthis might have access to financial information that detailed if British or US money was supporting vessels that otherwise had no obvious link to the Houthis stated targets.
“So after one year, what has happened? Seafarers have accepted that there’s no problem going through this area … because they keep sharing their experiences,” he said.
The Yemen-based Houthi group has said that it will target UK, US and Israeli-linked vessels. They said earlier this month that would include Israeli-linked vessels even after their sale to third-party interests.
John Stawpert, senior manager for environment and trade at the International Chamber of Shipping, said that the announcement had not changed the threat assessment. “I think it was just grandstanding,” he said.
One captain told TradeWinds that he had made four transits through the Red Sea on containerships since the start of the Houthi campaign, despite some opposition from his family.
He said he had been reassured after receiving full support from the company and additional security measures including additional lookouts and extra protection against potential boarding.
“Nobody has attacked us but during the first trip many boats approached the vessel,” he said. “We had armed guards and had laid razor wire so they remained for some time and then left.”
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