Ships Use AIS Messages to Avoid Houthi Red Sea Attacks
Commercial vessels are broadcasting religious and crew affiliations via tracking profiles to deter Houthi missile strikes in the Red Sea as shipping traffic plummets.
Commercial shipping companies are broadcasting adaptive signals via public Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking profiles to avoid drone and missile strikes by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait. These messages include declarations such as "All Crew Muslim," notifications of all-Chinese crews and management, and alerts regarding the presence of armed guards.
The measures follow a recent escalation in which the Iran-aligned militia sank two ships, leaving at least four crew members dead and 11 missing. The Houthis claim these attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, with leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi vowing there would be no passage for companies transporting goods connected to Israel.
Maritime security sources suggest these AIS declarations are unlikely to prevent attacks because of the militia's deep intelligence preparation. The instability has caused insurance costs for Red Sea voyages to more than double. Daily vessel traffic has dropped significantly from an average of 79 sailings in October 2023 to approximately 32-35 vessels in early July 2025.
