Houthi rebels struck a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, marking the first reported deaths targeting commercial shipping near the Red Sea since last fall.

Six people were killed in the attack on the Egyptian-owned, Tanzania-flagged Tihamah. Yemen’s ministry of transportation confirmed the death of four crew members, while the country’s Coast Guard said two rescuers were also killed in a second strike.

Within hours of the attack, U.S. Central Command confirmed a Navy helicopter fired missiles at a container ship in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the Panama-flagged Vela Nova ignored warnings and had to sail past the U.S.-imposed naval blockade on Iranian ports. Crew abandoned vessels, and all are accounted for.

The hostilities reflect the broadening of the war in Iran across two fronts—the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea—that are pivotal to commercial shipping. The dual skirmishes illustrate the danger that ocean carriers face upon making voyages in the conflict-ridden waterways.

Container shipping giants CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have slowly resumed some Red Sea services as the security risks persist, while Cosco Shipping is returning to the Bab el-Mandeb with one of its own ships this month for the first time in two years.

CMA CGM declined to comment. Sourcing Journal reached out to Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and Cosco.

Three Pakistanis were killed in the Bab el-Mandeb attack, according to Pakistan’s foreign minister. The Yemeni ministry said one Indonesian was also killed, adding the crew lost control of the vessel after being attacked.

Two rescuers from Yemen’s government-allied, anti-Houthi National Resistance Forces (NRF) were killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, the Yemeni Coast Guard said.

Ten people were injured, including seven crew members, ​two Coast Guard personnel and one NRF member, according to the Coast Guard.

A Houthi-aligned media outlet later said the group’s forces had targeted a ship carrying Saudi military equipment, though the Houthis haven’t addressed the casualty figures officially.

The Houthis implemented a blockade on any Saudi shipping vessels traversing through the area, as well as ships of any origin attempting to call at Saudi Arabian ports.

The last reported Houthi attack in the Red Sea region resulting in a death occurred last September, when two strikes hit the Netherlands-flagged commercial cargo ship Minervagracht in the neighboring Gulf of Aden. One crew member was killed.

The Iran-aligned militant group suspended its two-year campaign against commercial shipping in November after the end of the Israel-Hamas war, but began attacking vessels last month upon announcing the Saudi blockade.

Over in the Gulf of Oman, the Vela Nova was the 12th vessel attacked by U.S. forces since its blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was reimposed on July 14.

The ship recently made port calls in Mumbai and Malaysia’s Port Klang, and had been scheduled to travel from India’s Nhava Sheva Port to the U.A.E.’s Port of Jebel Ali

CENTCOM said Tuesday it has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels and boarded two.

Chinese carrier launches Arctic “Ice Silk Road” service

As the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea remain under fire, the Arctic Ocean is emerging as an alternative for some carriers.

Chinese container shipping company Sea Legend will launch a weekly service Wednesday that will edge the north Russian coast as part of between the Port of Ningbo and the Port of Felixstowe in the U.K. 

It is the first regular container shipping service to use the Arctic route, with Sea Legend branding the route the “Ice Silk Road.”

The voyage is expected to cut the typical 40-day sailing time between China and the U.K, by about half, depending on the conditions in the Arctic Circle.

According to data from container shipping research firm Linerlytica, the number of container ship transits on the Northern Sea Route is set to reach a new record with over 25 sailings planned this year.

While Maersk made one voyage through the Arctic Ocean in 2018, the Danish carrier has since ruled out the route as a service, as have other major Western container shipping companies including Hapag Lloyd and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

Western carriers don’t have as much incentive to use the service given they already have been using the Cape of Good Hope route. Additionally, Russia claims control over portions of the Northern Sea Route and requires foreign vessels to obtain a permit to pass.