Closure of al-Makha port leaves workers and traders fearing for the future

[Al-Makha Port Shutdown Endangers Workers and Threatens Local Economy]

Taiz, Yemen – Mohammed Al‑Homaidi, a labourer in his 30s, has been employed at the al‑Makha (Mocha) port in southwestern Yemen since its reopening in 2021.

Although he relied on a daily wage, his earnings provided a solid standard of living for his family.

However, his situation changed on August 9, when the Red Sea port was struck by Houthi attacks that claimed at least seven lives.

Following the collapse of the ceasefire last month and the intensifying clashes between Yemen’s government forces and Houthi militias, securing personal safety superseded the quest for employment.

“Around 12:30 p.m., explosions erupted at the seaport where many workers were present. I was uncertain of what was happening and unable to flee as the blasts continued uninterrupted,” Al‑Homaidi told Al Jazeera. “After roughly ninety minutes, I fled the port and never looked back until I arrived home.”

Thirty additional persons sustained injuries in the cascade of Houthi drone and missile strikes that focused on the port and adjacent areas.

Houthi forces have kept repeating hits on the harbour and surrounding zones, leading to dozens of fatalities and injuries.

On August 11, Houthi attackers crippled a vessel at al‑Makha, killing three Pakistani crew members and wounding eight teammates.

Three days later, the enemy targeted two cargo vessels at the Red Sea container terminal, inflicting further damages on the facility’s infrastructure.

Consequently, operations were halted last Friday to protect the port’s 1,500 personnel from danger.

For workers whose pay depends on short‑term labor, the shutdown has sparked a desperate struggle to put food on the table.

“I’m relieved to be safe at home today, but I am now jobless because I depend on daily wages,” Al‑Homaidi explained. “I have no savings, and our household food supplies are running low. How can I meet basic needs?”

Al‑Homaidi previously earned a livelihood by fishing in al‑Makha, but ongoing hostility along the Red Sea renders maritime work impossible for him and his coworkers.

Local fishers have been ordered by authorities not to venture onto the sea without warning, yet a handful returned out on August 11, leaving their families to search frantically for news of their absence.

With near‑daily Houthi strikes on al‑Makha, public beaches, parks and the coastal promenade have been shuttered.

A strict nighttime motorcycle curfew operates from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and a complete loss of landline and mobile connectivity leaves most households in al‑Makha isolated from the wider world; those who can afford alternatives rely on Starlink satellite internet.

Abdulmalik Al‑Sharabi, director of al‑Makha port, clarified to Al Jazeera that repeated Houthi assaults have forced the harbour to suspend operations. At least six merchant vessels bearing commercial cargo have been damaged since the latest wave of violence, resulting in civilian and seafarer casualties.

“Over 1,500 port staff lost their jobs, while sixteen people died and twenty‑two sustained injuries as a consequence of the Houthi assaults,” Al‑Sharabi told Al Jazeera English.

Targeted strikes have specifically aimed at civilian infrastructure at the port and neighbouring areas, dismantling workshops, equipment and the pier, thereby ending services.

All activity across thirty shipping and customs clearing agencies has come to a standstill, jeopardising the livelihoods of the affected workforce.

Before 2021 the port functioned as an economic artery for the Taiz governorship and other regional hubs such as Lahj, Hodeidah and Ibb. Its current shutdown compels traders to reroute imports via the port of Aden, inflating logistics expenses.

“We once boasted a seaport of substantial capacity; today we are returned to square one,” Al‑Sharabi summed up.

Repeated Houthi targeting has brought operations abruptly to a halt, endangering more than 1,500 employees and costing lives.

The disaster claims sixteen deaths and hundreds of injuries among civilian and merchant crews involved.

Houthi artillery has deliberately aimed at commercial and service sectors, workshops, equipment and the pier, reducing it to non‑functional status.

Service stops have spread across the 30 ports and customs houses linked to the complex, further harming the labor pool.

With the reconnection absent between 2015 and 2021, the facility served as a crucial lifeline for southern Yemeni economy and neighboring cities; its closure forces merchants elsewhere to navigate higher overheads through alternate routes.

“We welcomed having a functional harbor, but now we face the initial challenges again,” Al‑Sharabi observed.

Abdulraoof Abdullah, a fisherman in his 50s from al‑Makha, lacks any source of revenue for his eight‑person family aside from the catch of fish in the Red Sea. Because of the unstable conditions off the coast, he has not left the shore since August 11.

“We are unemployed and our homes have run short of food. We scramble each day for sustenance, resorting to debt or seeking assistance from friends,” Abdullah told Al Jazeera English.

With the port’s closure and diminished imports, he anticipates rising market prices and faces the painful decision of praying for divine interception as the only possible recourse.

“Without cash to purchase provisions we cannot even afford this week’s meal, let alone stockpile reserves for the future,” he added.

“Most inhabitants of Makha earn a living as fishermen, and they have now been erased from formal employment,” Abdullah reported. “Whenever work returns, food purchases become feasible; otherwise, we must be compelled to relocate to another region where opportunities arise.”

Rashad, a local businessman who prefers anonymity, has run shipping enterprises through al‑Makha’s port since 2021. Given that his warehouses lie only a few kilometres from the deep‑water terminal, this configuration historically offered the lowest fees.

“Our goods currently linger in Djibouti, and freight rates have spiked due to persistent turmoil in the Red Sea,” Rashad detailed to Al Jazeera. “Moreover, we were informed that our cargo will be redirected to Aden, meaning overland transport from that interior city to al‑Makha will demand a significant premium.”

While current stocks remain intact, prolonged closures threaten to compel merchants to elevate future sale prices to cover delayed arrivals and heightened carriage charges.

Although Rashad carries minimal cargo on vessels recently struck in Houthi attacks, he expresses compassion for those who have already endured financial ruin.

“Some assume traders possess comfort, yet we endure constant existential dread. We monitor shipments for months until they safely reach our warehouses,” he emphasized.

“No one can envision the devastation witnessed by traders who lost everything at al‑Makha port. The stark reality of this war has touched every Yemeni citizen, and we are no exceptions.”

Source link