Ships declare no links to Israel to avoid being targeted by Houthis

Cargo ships crossing into the Red Sea are declaring that they have no links to Israel to avoid being targeted by Yemen’s Houthi groups, data from the navigation safety feature known as the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which transmits the identity, location and destination of larger vessels, shows.

According to AIS, some ships have turned off their tracking devices as they enter the region, in an attempt to avoid being identified by the Houthi group, according to a Business Insider report.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that a rising number of cargo ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea broadcast phrases such as “All Chinese crew”, in the hope the connection with Beijing would convince the Houthis not to attack them.

The American agency indicated that at least nine ships approaching or crossing the Red Sea have rewritten their destinations and declared an “all Chinese crew” on the AIS website.

At least two ships in the region also announced they belonged to Russia, another country that has publicly criticised strikes on the Houthis.

Read: US launches new strikes against Houthis in Yemen