August 10, 2024: The Yemeni Houthi rebels appear to have paid attention to the Ukrainian success at using USVs (Unmanned Surface Vessels) and are now using similar USVs for attacks on commercial ships moving north towards the Suez Canal. Commercial ships have no defense against this tactic and the British and American warships and combat aircraft in the area have been unable to find and destroy the locations where the USVs are manufactured and stored. Since February 2024 Americans warships and carrier aircraft have launched six missile attacks at rebel positions in Yemen. This did not inflict enough damage to halt the attacks. The USVs are relatively small and easy to hide. Attacks from ships and aircraft have been unable to find all the USVs.

Because the USVs explode at the waterline, the damaged ship portions quickly fill with water and the ship often sinks. Since November 2023 the Yemeni rebels have launched more than 70 attacks with missiles and USVs. The attacks are uncoordinated and often inept but quantity has a quality all its own and, so far, two cargo ships have been sunk and two ships captured and held for ransom by the rebels. One captured ship was released while the other remains in rebel custody.

The Iran-backed Shia Yemeni rebels have been a problem for over a decade. Iran still smuggles in weapons, despite a naval blockade. Iran accepts the losses to the blockade and depends on some of the smuggling ships getting through to keep them supplied with weapons for their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Because of the attacks, maritime insurance companies have increased their premiums commercial ships moving through the Red Sea must pay. So far, the increased premiums have cost the shipping companies yearly half a million dollars per ship.

At the same time, Chinese owned ships have rarely been attacked and any attacks were accidental. As a result Chinese ships pay insurance premiums that amount to only a quarter of what everyone else is paying.