The Hot Red Sea: Five Fast Facts
The Houthis in Yemen are using aerial attacks and intimidation in the Red Sea, a key global trading route.
As the military conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas continues, the risk of a larger regional conflict increases. The current focus of concern is the Red Sea, a strategically important body of water that connects Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia at its northern end while also serving as a key trade route to the Persian Gulf and to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
Houthi militias control much of the physical territory in Yemen and have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels passing through the lower (southern) Red Sea. They seek to attack vessels en route to Israel or those with some connection to Israel. Their tactics have ranged from boarding/attempted boardings of commercial vessels to using drones and missiles to attack or disable vessels.
On December 18, the United States announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, an alliance of nations with naval and air assets who will work to counter the “recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen.”
“Eighteen drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile were shot down by F/A-18 warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, which is deployed in the Red Sea, and by four destroyers, the USS Gravely, USS Laboon, USS Mason and HMS Diamond.”
— BBC, January 10, 2024 news story (NEW)
The new alliance will include Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
Here are five fast facts about the strategically important Red Sea:
- High saline levels. The Red Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Why? There is a high evaporation rate due to low annual precipitation — only about 2.5 inches of rain per year. There are no significant rivers or streams that drain into the sea.
- Very warm waters. The average surface temperature of the Red Sea during the summer varies from about 26 °C (79 °F) in the north to 30 °C (86 °F) in the south. Oddly, many of the coral reefs in the northern Red Sea seem to tolerate the very warm waters — an example of evolutionary resilience.
- Long, shallow and narrow. The Red Sea extends southeastward over 1,300 miles (2,100 km) from Suez, Egypt to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (Yemen and Djibouti). The north-south distance is similar to that of New York City to Houston, Texas.
Its maximum east-west width is about 190 miles. The sea is flanked by the Sahara Desert and the mostly arid Arabian Peninsula, creating unusual challenges including massive dust storms that can make navigation difficult. Vessels approaching or leaving the Red Sea from the south must pass through waters near Somalia where sea pirates continue to operate. Last week, a Maltese-flagged merchant ship with a crew of 18 was likely hijacked in the Arabian Sea. That vessel is now off the coast of Somalia. - Trade. The Red Sea is an important global trading corridor. About twelve percent of global trade transits the Red Sea each day. Recent Houthi attacks have led to significant changes in sea trade routes. Møller–Maersk, the large Danish shipping and logistics company, just announced it would reroute its ships around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope — a journey that will add ten or more days to a vessel’s voyage. Supercooled liquified natural gas (LNG) from Qatar — now in high demand in Europe — transits the Red Sea in massive tankers. They've been spared from serious attack from the Houthis — so far.
- Tourism. The plentiful and colorful coral reefs in the waters of the northern Red Sea are a popular tourist draw. Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, in particular, is a very popular destination. As Saudi Arabia further develops its own tourism industry, the Saudi Red Sea coast will become a primary focus of development.
Coral reef bleaching due to changes in sea water temperature and composition is a growing worldwide threat. Swelling tourism and development may present serious challenges to the sea’s coral reefs in the near future though.
