David Appleton, head of professional and technical at Nautilus, which represents more than 20,000 maritime workers, said the utmost priority should be the safeguarding of the lives of seafarers.

One Vietnamese and two Filipino crew members died in the attack on the MV True Confidence, and two others were seriously injured.

The Yemen-based Houthi described the carrier as “a U.S. ship,” which its owners and the Biden administration said isn’t true.

The territorial waters affected extend halfway into the 12-mile-wide Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which around 15% of the world's shipping traffic passes.

The Houthis have been consistently attacking merchant shipping in the region for months in protest against Israel’s war with Hamas.

U.S. Central Command said the attack had caused an 18-mile oil slick, warning that the spillage of the cargo into the sea would worsen the environmental impact.

BIMCO said that, so far in February, the number of ships transiting through the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal is 50% and 37% lower than last year respectively.

The supply chain problems are expected to be exacerbated next month as China begins shipping again in earnest after its annual pause for the two weeks of lunar new year celebrations.

A Houthi spokesman confirmed they had targeted the Islander and said they had also launched drones at a U.S. warship.

The order will give the Coast Guard authority to respond to malicious cyberactivity, require maritime vessels to bolster their cybersecurity and impose new rules on reporting cyber incidents at ports.