What is Red Sea?

The Red Sea, bordered by Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, features extreme temperatures averaging 32°C and high salinity levels, ranging from 36‰ to 41‰. Despite its remarkable biodiversity, including coral reefs and marine species, environmental challenges like habitat destruction and overexploitation persist. The region faces heightened instability due to ongoing conflicts, notably the Israel-Hamas crisis and Houthi rebel attacks, disrupting global trade and delaying initiatives like the IMEC corridor. These security threats necessitate a unified international response, emphasizing diplomacy over military intervention

The recent turmoil in the Red Sea has raised concerns about the potential for widespread instability across the Middle East. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated into a significant crisis with no sign of easing. Consequently, ships are being rerouted to take longer paths via the Cape of Good Hope, disrupting global trade. Furthermore, this situation has also caused a delay in implementing the IMEC corridor (India -Middle East - Europe Economic Corridor), which was anticipated to be a transformative initiative linking India, the Middle East, and Europe

The Red Sea, situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, is a semi-enclosed tropical water body bordered by Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti to the west, and Yemen and Saudi Arabia to the east. Besides being renowned for its stunning coral reefs and natural beauty, the Red Sea serves as a crucial shipping route for oil tankers and various other vessels navigating through the Suez Canal.

• The Bab el Mandeb strait acts as the dividing line between the Red Sea and the Indian ocean via the Gulf of Aden.
• At the northern tip of the Red Sea, it splits into two gulfs: the Gulf of Suez, linked to the Suez Canal, and the Gulf of Aqaba.
• Surrounding the Red Sea, the adjacent land areas are predominantly arid, characterized by desert or semi-desert regions with minimal river inflows. Moving inland, these desert regions are bordered by vast mountain ranges.
• Countries bordering the Red Sea include Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

• The Red Sea is located in an arid region with scorching hot summers.
• The southern region of the Red Sea is known to be one of the hottest areas globally.
• Although the northern region experiences slightly lower temperatures than the south, it still remains hot.
• Rainfall in the Red Sea region is sparse and usually occurs in the form of localised short showers.
• On average, the annual rainfall in the Red Sea area is around 110mm.

• Seasonal variation in surface water temperature in the Red Sea ranges between approximately 22°C and 32°C.
• Salinity levels in the Red Sea are typically high, measured in parts per thousand (ppt), owing to factors such as high evaporation rates, low precipitation, and the absence of major river inflow.
  • On average, the salinity of the Red Sea is around 40‰.
  • Salinity levels in the Red Sea vary, ranging from about 36‰ in the southern part to 41‰ in the northern part around the Gulf of Suez.

• The Red Sea is renowned for its natural beauty and remarkable biological diversity.
• Various ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, salt marshes, and salt pans are found throughout the region.
• These distinctive habitats provide a home to a wide array of marine species, including sea turtles, dugongs, dolphins, and numerous fish species that are endemic to the area.

• The Red Sea region's main sectors are varied and include activities such as oil exploration, manufacturing, fertilizer and chemical production, cement manufacturing, tourism, fisheries, and maritime transport related to oil.
• The Red Sea is a vital maritime route, facilitating approximately 12% of global merchandise trade, making it one of the busiest cargo transit points worldwide, as estimated

The name "Red Sea" is believed to originate from the presence of a cyanobacterium called Trichodesmium erythraeum. When this organism dies off, it imparts a reddish-brown color to the normally blue-green water, giving the sea its distinctive name.

Instability:Serious security challenges plague the area.

• Persistent threats of piracy and terrorism continue to emanate from the Horn of Africa. Additionally, escalating tensions between Iran and the United States have resulted in a military buildup in the waters of the region.
• Houthi rebels:
  • Houthi rebels have carried out multiple attacks on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November. They claim to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's military actions in Gaza. These attacks have disrupted global shipping, leading to longer and more expensive routes for firms. The United States and Britain have retaliated by striking Houthi targets in Yemen.
  • Impact on India:
    • As a result of the instability in the region, India's non-oil exports experienced a 9% decline in January 2024 compared to the previous month.
    • Additionally, the instability has caused delays in the implementation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
  • Efforts by India to address this:
    • The Indian Navy has significantly bolstered its maritime surveillance activities in the Central/North Arabian Sea region and increased its naval presence.
    • Task Groups consisting of destroyers and frigates have been deployed to conduct maritime security operations and provide aid to merchant vessels in case of emergencies.
    • Additionally, aerial surveillance conducted by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) has been intensified to ensure comprehensive maritime domain awareness.
    • Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) have been diligently overseeing white shipping activities, with a particular focus on Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels operating in the region.
    • In order to effectively monitor the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Indian Navy is collaborating closely with the Coast Guard.

Blockages:

• The Suez Canal has a notorious history of blockages. In 1967, a traffic jam in the canal persisted for a staggering eight years.
• Fast forward to March 2021, when the Ever Given, one of the largest container ships ever constructed, became lodged in the Suez Canal for six days. This incident caused a bottleneck in global shipping and resulted in approximately $10 billion worth of trade being halted each day.

• Water Quality: Marine activities like shipping and oil exploitation are increasingly polluting the sea.
• Land-Based Pollution: Industrial effluents, including thermal pollution from power and desalination plants, and hypersaline brine water from desalination plants, contribute to land-based pollution.
• Oil Pollution: While major oil spills are rare, minor oil leaks from oil tankers occur frequently.
• Habitat Destruction: Natural habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds are being altered and destroyed.
• Overexploitation: Some marine resources in the Red Sea are facing overexploitation.

• Jeddah Convention: In the 1970s, the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) convened countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to address common marine environmental concerns. This initiative culminated in the 1982 agreement known as the Jeddah Convention.

• The DCOC, established in January 2009, is aimed at repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Western Indian Ocean Region, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
• It is a grouping on maritime matters comprising 18 member states adjoining the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, the East coast of Africa and Island countries in the IOR.
• In 2020, India became an observer of the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC), joining existing observers such as Japan, Norway, the UK, and the US.

The escalating crisis in the Red Sea presents a pressing global security challenge, warranting a unified response from the international community. It is imperative for the US and Western nations to exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions through military intervention in addressing the Red Sea and Yemen crisis. Prioritising international cooperation and diplomatic efforts is crucial for resolving the crisis, garnering broad support as the preferred approach to addressing the situation in the Red Sea region.