A Cargo Ship Was Attacked by Houthis in the Arabian Sea. The United States dispatched B-2 Stealth and Strategic Bomber. 最新！货船在阿拉伯海遭遇胡塞袭击！美国出动B-2轰炸机！

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On October 18 local time, a spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi armed forces said that they used drones to attack a container ship in the Arabian Sea. It was reported that the container ship was flying the Maltese flag and sailing steadily towards the port of Salalah in Oman when the incident occurred.

当地时间10月18日，也门胡塞武装相关发言人表示，也门武装部队在阿拉伯海使用无人机对一艘集装箱船展开行动。据报道，这艘集装箱船悬挂马耳他国旗，事发时正朝着阿曼的塞拉莱港稳步航行。

According to the statement of the Houthis, they attacked three ships not only in the Arabian Sea but also in the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis emphasized that these vessels violated the navigation bans and entered the ports of the occupied Palestinian territories without authorization. These actions of the Houthis have undoubtedly exacerbated tensions in the region and caused serious disruptions to the stability of the global shipping industry.

据胡塞武装的声明，他们不仅在阿拉伯海，还在亚丁湾袭击了3艘船只。胡塞武装强调，这些船只违反了航行禁令，擅自进入巴勒斯坦被占领土港口。胡塞武装的这些行动，无疑加剧了该地区的紧张局势，并对全球航运业的稳定性造成了严重干扰。

On October 16, 12 countries, led by the United States, issued a strong joint statement warning the Yemeni Houthis to cease their continued attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. The statement highlighted the central role of the Red Sea in global trade, pointing out that nearly 15% of global seaborne trade must pass through this key waters, including 8% of global food trade, 12% of maritime oil trade and 8% of global liquefied natural gas trade.

10月16日，以美国为首的12个国家发出了一份强有力的联合声明，对也门胡塞武装发出了明确的警告，要求其停止对红海商船的持续袭击。这份声明强调了红海在全球贸易中的核心地位，指出近15%的全球海运贸易量必须通过这一关键水域，其中包括全球8%的粮食贸易、12%的海上石油贸易和8%的全球液化天然气贸易。

Subsequently, the United States took a series of actions to combat the threatening behavior of the Houthis. On October 17, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin stated that the United States launched a new round of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen that evening, and used B-2 "Spirit" stealth and strategic bombers to raid five underground weapons storage facilities of the Houthis. A U.S. official said that this raid was the first time in over seven years that the United States used B-2 bombers to attack the Houthis in Yemen. As the only stealth and strategic bomber publicly disclosed in the world today, the U.S. Air Force has fewer than 20 B-2 bombers in active service. Each B-2 bomber is estimated to cost over $1 billion. The Pentagon only occasionally uses them for combat missions, usually to show force. The Pentagon also said that the attack on the Houthis is aimed at weakening the threat of the Houthis in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and protecting the safety of international shipping.

随后，美国采取了一系列行动打击胡塞武装的威胁性行为，10月17日，美国国防部长奥斯汀表示，美国当天晚间对也门胡塞武装发动了新一轮打击，并使用B-2“幽灵”隐形战略轰炸机空袭了胡塞武装五个地下武器储存设施，一名美国官员表示，此次袭击是美国逾七年来首次使用B-2轰炸机袭击也门胡塞武装。作为当今世界上公开的唯一一种隐形战略轰炸机， 美国空军处于现役的B-2轰炸机数量只有不到20架。每架B-2轰炸机的预估成本超过10亿美元，五角大楼只会偶尔使用它们执行作战任务，通常是为了展示武力，而此次打击胡塞武装，五角大楼也表示旨在削弱胡塞武装在红海和亚丁湾的威胁，保护国际航运的安全。

The Houthis' attacks in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden have exacerbated tensions in the region and caused serious interference to shipping.

胡塞武装在阿拉伯海和亚丁湾的袭击行动，加剧了该地区的紧张局势，同时对航运造成了严重的干扰。

Increased Transportation Costs

运输成本增加

A large number of international shipping company ships were forced to detour around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa due to the Houthis' attacks. According to relevant media statistics, more than 10% of ships are affected, which increases transportation costs by an average of 30%. For example, a container ship originally traveling from Asia to the east coast port of North America may only pay $2,300 in fuel costs and other transportation costs on a normal route, but after detouring the Cape of Good Hope, fuel consumption increases significantly, which may lead to transportation costs rising to $3,900.

大量国际航运公司船只因胡塞武装袭击被迫绕道非洲南端的好望角。据相关媒体统计，超过10%的船只受到影响，这使得运输成本平均增加30%。例如，一艘原本从亚洲到北美东海岸港口的集装箱船，正常航线可能只需支付2300美元的燃油费等运输成本，但绕道好望角后，燃油消耗大幅增加，可能导致运输成本上升至3900美元。

Cargo Transportation Delays

货物运输延误

If no advance arrangements are made, cargo transportation may be delayed after detouring, with an average delay of about 10 days, sometimes even up to several weeks. This delay affects the smoothness of global trade and disrupts the normal operation of the global supply chain. Taking the electronics manufacturing industry as an example, some key components may not arrive at the production factory on time due to transportation delays, resulting in production line stagnation, increasing production costs and product delivery time.

如没有进行前置安排，货物运输经过绕行后，可能会出现延误现象，平均延误时长达到10天左右，有时甚至长达数周。这种延误影响了全球贸易的流畅性，打乱了全球供应链的正常运转。以电子产品制造业为例，一些关键零部件可能因运输延误无法按时到达生产工厂，导致生产线停滞，增加了生产成本和产品交付时间。

Impact on Trade Volume

贸易量受影响

Among all types of global trade, key trades such as food, oil and liquefied natural gas have been hit. Taking wheat transportation as an example, the World Trade Organization released a report on January 18 this year, stating that due to the Houthi armed forces' attacks on some transport ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the wheat transportation volume through the Suez Canal fell by nearly 40% in the first half of January 2024, to 500 thousand tons. This decline directly led to a significant slowdown in the pace of wheat supply to the East African and Asian markets. At the same time, the increase in freight rates will drive up international wheat prices, increasing the uncertainty of global food supply. At the same time, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures price has risen by 2.8% from October 18, 2023 to January 2024.

在全球各类贸易中，粮食、石油和液化天然气等关键贸易受到冲击。以小麦运输为例，世界贸易组织今年1月18日发布的报告称，由于胡塞武装在红海和亚丁湾对一些运输船只发动袭击，1月上半月，通过苏伊士运河的小麦运输量下降了近40%，至50万吨。这一下降直接导致了小麦供给东非和亚洲市场的节奏明显减缓，同时运费上涨后会带动国际小麦价格上行，增加了全球粮食供给的不确定性。同时，芝加哥期货交易所（CBOT）小麦期价自2023年10月18日至2024年1月，累计上涨2.8%。

It can be seen that the Houthi armed forces' attacks not only pose a direct threat to regional shipping security, but also have a profound impact on the global economy and geopolitical stability. In the face of such dangers, all parties should work together to take effective measures to deal with it.

由此可见，胡塞武装的袭击行动不仅对区域航运安全构成了直接威胁，也对全球经济和地缘政治稳定产生了深远的影响。面对这样的危险，各方都应该共同努力，采取有效措施来应对。

Shipping companies need to flexibly adjust routes according to the maritime security situation to avoid passing through high-risk areas. In addition, it is also crucial to establish a sound emergency response mechanism, including formulating emergency plans, establishing emergency teams, and equipping emergency equipment.

航运公司需要根据海上安全形势灵活调整航线，避免经过高风险区域。此外，建立完善的应急响应机制也是至关重要的，包括制定应急预案、成立应急小组、配备应急设备等。

The international community is also taking active action. Nearly 20 countries, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, have launched the "Operation Prosperity Guardian" to protect ships from attacks by the Houthi armed forces. This international cooperation can improve the ability to protect shipping safety and reduce the occurrence of attacks. At the same time, the international community should provide humanitarian assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict and promote peace talks to achieve long-term stability and peace.

国际社会也在积极行动，美国、法国、英国等近20个国家发起了“繁荣卫士”行动，以保护船只免受胡塞武装的袭击。这种国际合作可以提高保护航运安全的能力，减少袭击事件的发生。同时，国际社会应提供人道主义援助，以缓解由冲突造成的人道危机，并推动和平谈判，以实现长期稳定和和平。

At the same time, smart shipping can also play a certain role in assisting. With the help of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data analysis, E-PORTS can provide intelligent solutions for ship operators and managers. E-PORTS can monitor shipping dynamics in real time, assess safety risks, intelligently plan operating routes and ports, and improve emergency response capabilities. For more information, please call 400-9208810 for consultation.

与此同时，智慧航运也可以起到一定的协助作用。E-PORTS借助人工智能、物联网和大数据分析等先进技术，可为船舶经营管理方提供智能化的解决方案。E-PORTS能够实时监控航运动态、评估安全风险，智能规划作业航线和港口，提高应急响应能力。如需了解更多，可拨打400-9208810进行咨询。