By Wendy Laursen of Maritime Executive
A Chinese naval ship arriving in the Yemen port city of Aden to evacuate Chinese citizens has been fired on, forcing Chinese soldiers to protect the civilians.
The Chinese soldiers have reportedly now left the port, without having evacuated all the people intended, not all of which were Chinese nationals.
India’s naval ship Sumitra was also fired on and reportedly sailed into a barrage of bombs to evacuate 349 Indians and take them to Djibouti.
The vessel, which was deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy mission, has become the mainstay of the evacuation efforts as a no-fly zone over Yemen slows down attempts to evacuate foreign nationals by air. Around 3,700 Indians are still in Yemen.
Warning to Shipping
The city of Aden has turned into battlefield as violent fighting continues on the streets.
Sputnik reports that troops from Saudi and Egyptian vessels have disembarked in Aden. Ships in the region have been urged not to approach Yemen’s ports due to the ongoing military operation.
Following the escalating conflict, the UK P&I Club has advised shipping companies to urgently review any on-going or scheduled port calls in Yemen, and to consult reliable local sources and maritime risk experts for the most up-to-date information.
The U.S. Coast Guard has signaled their intent to impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving in U.S. waters from all ports in Yemen except for the Balhalf LNG Terminal. The move will take effect from April 8, 2015.
Coalition gathers force
Following air strikes launched by a Saudi-led coalition, the possibility of ground and naval offensives in Yemen has grown significantly, as Egypt declared its readiness to send aerial, naval and ground support “if necessary”. Airports and ports would be possible targets, warns the UK P&I Club.
According to Reuters, witnesses have reported troops disembarking in Aden on Thursday, but a Yemeni government official has denied the claim.
A week of bombing by a Saudi-led coalition has failed to force Yemen's Houthis to the negotiating table. The fall of the Aden could complicate Saudi efforts to persuade Yemeni tribal and army units to turn on the Iranian-allied Houthis.
The operation by Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim states aims to prevent the Houthis, who hold the capital, from winning control of the whole country and extending the regional influence of their main foreign ally, Shi'ite power Iran.
The Houthis have momentum on the battlefield, in large part because of a tactical alliance with former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who retains the loyalty of much of the army.
"There's still no country more influential in Yemen than Saudi Arabia," said Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemeni researcher at Carnegie Middle East Center.
"Tribes and local officials have been receiving Saudi payments for years. If Saudi has an organized strategy and a desire to do so, it could activate these local connections to aid an internal reconciliation. There's no sign of that yet."
Saleh himself has called for an end to the Saudi bombardment, pledging in return that neither he nor any member of his family would seek the presidency. But his appeals have, in public at least, fallen on deaf ears. To date, the Houthis remain defiant.