Tracking Maritime Attacks in the Middle East Since 2019

Last updated: March 5, 2025

Threats against international shipping in strategic Middle Eastern waterways have been evolving for several years now, beginning long before the Gaza crisis that erupted in October 2023. As early as 2019, attacks were taking place in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz, and Persian Gulf. The motives for these attacks varied, with most incidents tied to the Yemen conflict, Western sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, the Iran-Israel “shadow war,” assorted legal disputes, and the Hamas-Israel war.  The latter conflict brought the spotlight back on this longstanding problem, particularly the manner in which Yemen’s Houthi movement could use hostile tactics to exert control over Red Sea shipping. One month after the Gaza war broke out, the Iran-backed militia began launching more frequent missile, drone, and small-boat attacks against commercial vessels, a few of them linked to Israeli shippers. The Houthis claimed that their attacks were in support of Palestinians in Gaza, but the fact that these incidents had been occurring since 2019 pointed to additional motives, as well as growing volatility in a region that is critical to global trade.   The first attack in the Gaza-related wave occurred on November 19, 2023, when the Houthis hijacked the Bahamas-flagged car carrier Galaxy Leader while it was transiting the Red Sea from Turkey en route to India. The ship was owned by Israel-based Ray Shipping Limited but chartered and operated by the Japanese company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) at the time of the incident. Both the vessel and its multinational crew were taken to Yemen and were still held there as of late January 2024. Subsequent attacks widened in scope, intensity, and lethality, with the Houthis employing cruise missiles, drones, and, for the first time, antiship ballistic missiles. Iran is suspected of actively supporting this wave of incidents given its longstanding status as the main supplier of weapons, ammunition, and training to the Houthis, not to mention its own military activities in the Red Sea and beyond. Although the Houthis initially framed their actions as part of a united effort to target vessels with Israeli links, that was no longer the case weeks later. More than thirty commercial vessels came under attack between November 2023 and January 2024, including container ships, bulk carriers, oil/chemical tankers, and crude oil tankers that were owned, managed, and operated by various international companies. U.S. commercial and military vessels  have also been singled out , especially after Washington ordered counterstrikes against Houthi targets starting on January 12, 2024. Meanwhile, several major shipping companies diverted their vessels away from the Red Sea and around the Cape of Good Hope. This longer route increased transit time by about two weeks, delayed deliveries, and raised shipping costs.

To capture the pulse of these attacks and their escalation during the Gaza war, The Washington Institute has traced various shipping incidents in a series of interactive maps covering the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz, and Persian Gulf. The maps are divided into three sections: (1) all major attacks conducted since 2019, (2) attacks conducted since November 19, 2023 ( on merchant vessels and warships), and attacks conducted before November 19, 2023 when the Houthis began their latest campaign. The list of attacks is not exhaustive—it focuses on major incidents linked to the Yemen conflict, Iran sanctions, legal disputes, Iran-Israel tensions, and the Gaza war, but certain other categories are not covered (e.g., ship seizures in the Persian Gulf linked to alleged oil smuggling). Some incident locations are approximations, depending on available data regarding coordinates (see Sources). The first map (Ship Attacks 2019-24) captures all confirmed Houthi-led attacks against commercial ships and warships which we have recorded so far using various sources.

List of Acronyms: ASBM: Antiship ballistic missile ASCM: Antiship cruise missile (with jet engine) ASM: Antiship missile (with rocket engine) CENTCOM: U.S. Central Command CVN: Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier DDG: Guided missile destroyer EUSV: Explosive Uncrewed Surface Vehicle IRGCN: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy IRIN: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

MSCHoA: Maritime Security Center-Horn of Africa OWAD: One-way attack drone UAV: Uncrewed aerial vehicle

USV: Uncrewed surface vehicle UKMTO: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations  VBSS: Visit, board, search, and seizure Note: Some ship names have changed and not all photos show the new names. 

If you are using your phone to view the map, make sure to tap on the expand button (on the top right corner) first. 

  The authors consulted various sources for information about the attacks, including approximate locations and vessel details (e.g., beneficial owners, managers, operators). Sources: MarineTraffic, Kpler, TradeWinds, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, Equasis, TankerTrackers.com, gCaptain, Reuters, Associated Press, Press TV, FleetMon, Ship & Bunker, U.S. Naval Institute News, U.S. Department of Defense, WION, The National, Twitter account of Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree, Maritime Security Center-Horn of Africa (MSCHoA), Skuld. Special thanks to: MarineTraffic and the many photographers who graciously gave us permission to republish their photos. Maria Radacsi, director of publications at The Washington Institute, for designing this storymap.