It started with an Apocalypse Now-style attack on the Galaxy Leader, with Houthi commandos swooping on the hapless car carrier in the Red Sea on 19 November 2023.

A year later, Western seaborne trade through the Red Sea has largely stopped, rendering the Houthis’ stated aim of a blockade in the region effectively fulfilled.

While the tactics have changed, with the militants not daring to use their limited helicopters again, the volume of attacks has not.