- [Narrator] Drone attacks, hijackings, and sinkings. Houthi rebels have turned one of the world's most critical trade routes into a zone of terror. (man speaks foreign language)
(suspenseful music) - [Narrator] Thousands of miles away, distress calls

from targeted vessels — [Woman] We were attacked by two missiles. — are routed here to the UK Navy's 911 service for shipping, which has seen an eightfold increase in incidents year on year.  We're a team of civilians at the center of efforts

to keep the world's cargo ships safe from attacks. - I think the only ones that have never spoken to us are the North Koreans. - [Narrator] The Royal Navy unit covers this zone, spanning parts of the Red Sea,

Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea; an area critical for the flow of trade between East and West. In the past year, Houthi rebels have struck over a hundred ships traveling through the narrow Bab-el Mandeb Strait,

the gateway to around $1 trillion in goods annually. - The Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group, have been basically attacking vessels.  The Houthis started to retaliate over the war in Gaza, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

- We were now looking at a sudden, overnight escalation from maybe one or two incidents in that area every two to three months to eight incidents a day. Multiple vessels involved, multiple nationalities, multiple threats. (man speaks foreign language)
(wind blows)

- [Narrator] While many ships are rerouting, using the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope, defending those that continue through the strait is a huge challenge. The cost is enormous, and there has been no solution yet.

For the US, it's more than $1 billion just in the first few months in the cost of retaliating and stopping these attacks. - [Narrator] US warships are escorting vessels in a bid to protect the shipping lane as part of a wider containment strategy.

This also involves striking Houthi weapons launch points and storage facilities. But those stocks keep being replenished. - Every time the Houthis are hit, their launch points and arsenals are hit, they get more from Iran, typically,

either missiles or drones. - These smuggling routes mean the Houthi strikes on vessels are continuing. In this video released by the Houthis, the Sounion crude oil tanker is seen under attack. The UK MTO received a distress call

from the master of the vessel, or person in charge, as the armed militants approached. - To be boarded by the bad guys, and they set explosions off and it literally, we were trying to glean the information. "Was it true?" outside agencies said,

"Have you had any reports?" We try to get as much information from the master because, to a lot of masters, we are the first point of contact. We are, some people think, an emergency service. We haven't got the assets, but we know

The people with the assets. The team worked very hard to manage that information, to triage it and assess it, and then disseminate it very quickly.

But attempts to locate vessels in distress can be complicated by the vessel's own attempts to stay safe. Automatic Identification Systems, or AIS, are radio signals that help ships avoid collisions. But to try and dodge attacks, they're often switched off while transiting in this dangerous waterway.

That made attempts to locate the Rubymar, a cargo ship hit by the Houthis, even more difficult. The ship, carrying 22,000 metric tons of fertilizer, started to sink after the attack.  She was slowly taking on water. Her AIS was switched off.

We were asking masters, as they were tracking through, if they could give us a position for her. After, I think, several weeks, she finally did vanish.

Despite efforts by the US and its allies to target Houthi infrastructure, the UK MTO has received and handled over 86% more calls year on year.  For annual hackers for us to share this information with our coalition forces. So, is that correct?

And has ramped up its exercises in order to remain alert. They're Filipino. And what flag is it? It's Antigua and Barbuda. So it's been pretty efficient from the Houthi side. They've been very—they've suffered very little damage.

from the US, UK, and Israel in terms of the deep impact. Their leadership is still alive. The arsenal is being refurbished by Iran continuously, with continuous flows coming through for smuggling. So that combination means they're able to continuously attack shipping.

There's also been a supply of satellite coordinates that initially came from Russia. - [Narrator] This data allowed the Houthis to more accurately target vessels. The Russia-Houthi cooperation has also deepened ties between groups Washington sees as its adversaries.

How long the Houthis will continue to bombard the waterway remains in question. - Their official assessment is that until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, they won't stop. The Western intelligence sources I speak to don't believe that.

They think that they're kind of on a high. They've never been as visible and as popular. They used to be a very small faction. They want to keep the momentum going. - [Narrator] In addition to targets in the Red Sea,

the Houthis have also launched ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. Tel Aviv has responded by targeting energy infrastructure inside Yemen. Some analysts believe ending the Houthis' reign of terror will require more than just military action, including both economic and diplomatic solutions.

Until that happens, UK MTO will remain on the forefront of the fight to save lives. - The people who make up UK MTO, who are answering the phones, are here because the safety of mariners at sea really does matter to them.

The ‘9-1-1’ Unit Responding to Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Shipping | WSJ

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홍해 선박에 대한 후티의 공격과 영국 해군의 대응.

후티 반군의 주요 무역로에 대한 공격(드론 공격, 납치, 침몰)이 발생했습니다.

공격을 받은 선박의 조난 신고가 영국 해군의 911 서비스에 접수되어 사고 건수가 8배나 증가한 것으로 나타났습니다.

왕립 해군의 관할 지역(홍해, 아덴만, 아라비아해)과 세계 무역에서 차지하는 중요성.

밥엘만데브 해협에서 100척이 넘는 선박이 충돌하여 연간 약 1조 달러의 물품에 영향을 미쳤습니다.

후티 반군의 보복은 가자지구 전쟁과 팔레스타인과의 연대와 연계되어 공격이 크게 확대되었습니다.

배송 보호의 어려움과 높은 대응 비용.

많은 선박이 경로를 변경하여 비용이 증가하며 해협을 계속 통과하는 선박을 방어하는 것은 어려운 일입니다.

미국의 개입: 선박 호위와 후티 무기 시설 공습, 그러나 재고는 보충되었습니다.

후티 반군에게 미사일과 드론을 공급하는 이란의 역할.

수니온 원유 유조선 공격과 조난 전화 수신에 대한 영국 해상교통관제센터의 역할 사례.

조난 선박의 위치 파악의 어려움.

선박은 종종 공격을 피하기 위해 AIS를 꺼서 위치 추적 작업을 방해합니다.

비료를 운반하던 화물선 루비마호가 선박자동식별장치(AIS)가 꺼진 상태에서 공격을 받아 침몰한 사건입니다.

루비마호의 위치를 찾는 데 어려움이 있고 선박으로부터 정보를 얻는 데 어려움이 있습니다.

대응책의 효과와 지속적인 공격에 대한 분석.

대책에도 불구하고 영국 MTO의 업무량 증가(전년 대비 86% 이상 통화량 증가).

미국, 영국, 이스라엘의 대응에도 불구하고 후티 반군의 효율성과 피해 최소화.

이란이 후티 반군에게 지속적으로 무기를 공급하면서 공격이 계속되고 있습니다.

러시아는 후티 반군에게 위성 좌표를 제공하여 표적 정확도를 높였습니다.

후티 반군의 공격 기간과 잠재적 해결 방안에 대한 전망.

후티가 밝힌 공격 중단 조건(가자지구 휴전)과 정보기관의 평가가 상이합니다.

이스라엘에 대한 후티의 공격과 예멘의 에너지 인프라를 겨냥한 이스라엘의 대응.

분석가들은 공격을 종식시키기 위해서는 군사적 조치 외에도 경제 및 외교적 해결책이 필요하다고 말합니다.

결론: 결론: 영국 해양경찰청의 헌신과 선원 안전의 중요성.

해상에서 선원의 안전을 위한 영국 해양교통청의 노력.