Yemen prevails widely of severe economic damage due to the American raids that targeted the strategic port of Ras Issa Essa in the Hodeidah governorate overlooking the Red Sea in the west of the country.
Last Thursday evening, the US Central Command announced in a statement that it had destroyed the fuel platform in the port of Ras Issa, which is controlled by the Houthi group, and considered it “a major source of fuel that is used to finance the activities of the group backed by Iran.” The statement added that the destruction of the platform aims to “deprive the Houthis of the illegal revenues that they used to carry out terrorist operations for more than ten years.”
For its part, the Houthi group announced that the port was subjected to a series of American raids that killed 80 people and wounded 150 other port workers, in a toll that is the highest since the start of US military intervention in Yemen in early 2024.
Multiple economic effects
Experts expect that the destruction of the port will lead to direct economic repercussions, not limited to the Houthi group, but rather extend to the lives of citizens in the areas under their control.
Yemeni writer and researcher Abdel -Wasa Al -Fateki says that the port of Ras Issa is one of the most important maritime outlets that are still under the control of the Houthis, and that its destruction constitutes a serious development that is reflected in the economic situation of the group and the local population alike.
In his interview with Al -Jazeera Net, Al -Fathi explained that the stopping of the port would lead to a suffocating crisis in fuel supplies and the high prices in the local market, which creates a ration gap that increases the cost of goods and services, and directly affects the transportation and production costs.
He pointed out that several vital sectors will be affected by the American strike as follows:
- Electricity that supplies homes and industry will be severely affected
- Agriculture will be one of the most prominent affected people, due to its reliance on the fuel to operate water pumps.
- Hospitals and health facilities will face great difficulties due to the lack of energy supplies, which will raise the cost of medical services, and may hinder their provision completely.
He cautioned that the human and social impact will be adult, especially with the movement of commodities within the areas under the control of the Houthi, which will lead to great difficulties in delivering humanitarian aid, especially to remote areas, which may exacerbate the food insecurity crisis in the country.
Al -Fateki added that “if the United States aims, by destroying the port of Ras Issa, to direct a painful economic blow to the Houthis, it must take into account the serious repercussions of civilians, and work to find alternatives to ensure the continued flow of fuel and humanitarian aid to the population.”
The Yemeni researcher expected that the United States will continue to target what the sources of financing and support for the Houthis consider, whether through direct military strikes or through the bombing of civilian facilities believed to contribute to financing the group economically. In this context, he stressed the importance of neutralizing civil and vital facilities in any military operation, because the first affected ones will be civilians, while the damage to the group remains often limited in the long term.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g2cpswqtw
A major economic resource for the Houthis
Dr. Muhammad Qahtan, a professor of economics at Taiz University (south of Sanaa), believes that the destruction of the port of Ras Issa cuts the main artery on which the Houthi group relies on financing its activities. He said that the port was receiving oil derivatives and home gas used to operate military equipment and meet the needs of the market in the group’s control areas.
Qahtan added that a large part of these supplies comes through assistance from Iran or is imported by traders linked to the group, and that the stopping of the port will lead to the interruption of these resources, which will significantly weaken their financial and logistical capabilities.
Despite this, the Yemeni academic indicates that there are possible alternatives through which the Yemeni market needs can be met with fuel and gas, most notably the ports of the legitimate government in Aden, Shabwa, and Hadramout, which can provide these materials at lower prices, according to statements by officials in the ports of the Gulf of Aden.
He also drew attention to the possibility of importing gas from Marib Governorate to cover the shortage. Qahtan considered that these alternatives may ensure that citizens are not damaged significantly, which could lead the Houthis to enter into negotiations with the legitimate government to get out of the economic crisis and resume export of oil and gas, and end the state of financial and monetary division that Yemen suffers from.
Navigation stops and doubles human suffering
For his part, the economic journalist Wafik Saleh said that the departure of the port of Ras Issa from service means that the navigation activity has completely stopped, after it remained for years the main port for importing fuel and oil derivatives, especially by companies affiliated with the Houthi group.
Saleh said in his speech to Al -Jazeera Net that the stopping of the port would cause major problems in supply chains, and hinder the arrival of food and basic commodities to the local markets, which constitutes a great loss for the Houthis, who were obtaining huge financial resources by imposing customs duties and taxes on the goods received through the port.
He stressed that the obstruction of the access of foodstuffs will increase the complexity of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, but he pointed to the possibility of mitigating the effects of this crisis by developing and equipping other Yemeni ports under the control of the legitimate government, such as the ports of Aden, Mukalla and Makha, to accommodate commercial ships and container ships, and ensure the stability of food supply in local markets, as well as facilitating the entry of fuel and goods through land ports.
Negative repercussions on oil supplies
The Houthi group condemned in several statements to destroy the port, warning of great economic and humanitarian repercussions. The Yemeni Red Sea Ports Corporation, affiliated with the group, said that the American bombing caused “severe damage to Ras Issa Port”, which led to the disruption of its vital activity completely.
The Foundation added that this disruption “will be negatively reflected on the movement of maritime navigation and oil supplies, and will increase the suffering of the Yemeni people, which was exacerbated by the siege imposed for more than ten years.” She emphasized that the port is one of the main pillars in securing fuel for the residents of Yemen, and that it is directly related to the lives of citizens and their daily needs.
A vital port that protects it
The Ras Issa oil port is located in the northwest of the city of Hodeidah, and it is about 42 nautical miles and 78 km by land. Work began as an additional marina belonging to the management of the Salif Port since February 2016, after completing the construction of his tanks in 2014.
According to the website of the Ministry of Works in Sana’a, Ras Issa Port is one of the deepest ports of the Red Sea Ports Corporation, where it has the ability to receive giant oil tankers, thanks to its natural depths of up to 50 meters and 16 meters near the coast.
It protects it from the west by the island of Kamran, providing it with natural protection from the waves, and making it a safe anchor area. The broad water area of the port lake and the anchorage basin enables it to accommodate more than 50 ships and a carrier at the same time, which makes it one of the most prominent strategic ports in Yemen.
