India-bound cargo ship called Galaxy Leader was hijacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea near Yemen’s port city of Hodeida, near the coast of Eritrea.
- A narrow strip of water extending south-eastward from the Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
- It connects with the Gulf of Aden and then with the Arabian Sea.
- Bordering Countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti.
- In north are the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez.
- Importance of Red Sea Trade Route:
- It is a crucial route for international trade and energy shipments, around 93-100%, of Arab countries’ total exports pass through it.
- Approx. 10% of seaborne cargo sails through the Red Sea including most of the Asian trade with Europe.
- Both the US and China have Naval bases in Djibouti which points towards the geostrategic importance of this region.