Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mocha has halted all commercial and maritime operations after missile and drone strikes damaged its quay, vessels and infrastructure, pushing estimated losses to about $79m, according to port general manager Abdulmalik al-Sharabi.
The latest estimate is almost five times an initial assessment of about $16m. Al-Sharabi put damage to the quay at about $57m, with another $22m covering other losses, including six wooden commercial vessels, two of which were carrying cargo.
Storage facilities, workshops, employee accommodation and equipment used for the port’s expansion programme were also damaged. A dredger and its support vessel were among the equipment affected.
Yemen’s transport ministry said on 9 August that the port had been hit by at least 25 missile and drone strikes, damaging storage areas, fuel installations and other infrastructure. Further ballistic missile strikes hit the facility on 14 August.
The shutdown has left about 1,300 workers without their source of income. More than 30 shipping agencies used the port.
Work has also stopped on a rehabilitation, expansion and operating project valued at more than $130m. Dredging of the harbour basin, turning basin and navigation channel had reached about 38% of the planned work, while infrastructure was being prepared for container traffic.
Al-Sharabi initially put the death toll at seven before later saying 10 people had been killed and 22 injured in attacks on the port since 8 August.
Mocha lies on Yemen’s Red Sea coast in Taiz province, close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The port has a smaller cargo capacity than Yemen’s principal ports of Aden and Hodeidah.