by Lloyd's List

19 January 2025 (Lloyd's List) - HOUTHI representatives said the Yemeni-based group would no longer target US- and UK-owned, managed and flagged ships from January 19, after “the cessation of aggression on the Gaza Strip”.

The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, through which the Houthis communicate with merchant shipping, said in an email distributed around 5pm London time on Sunday that it was “stopping the sanctions imposed on vessels listed on ban lists”.

Global trade through the Red Sea trade corridor has plunged by 60% over the past 14 months — most of it Western-linked tonnage — since Houthis began attacking ships it claimed were linked to aggression against Palestinians.

The Houthis attacked more than 134 ships over 12 months using fast attack craft, uncrewed surface vessels, drones, and ballistic, cruise and anti-ship missiles supplied by Iran and China amid increased collaboration with terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda, according to a UN Security Council Panel of Experts report on Yemen published in October.

The email, addressed to shipowners, managers, government authorities, marine insurers, unions and shipping representative groups, said that the “military operations” of the Yemeni Armed Forces (how the Houthis reference themselves) were linked to events in Gaza.

Only ships wholly or partially owned by Israeli individuals or entities, and Israel-flagged ships, would continue to be targeted (referred to as “criteria A”), the email said. The Houthis have previously outlined a further three criteria for targeting vessels, including those managed or operated by Israeli nationals or entities (criteria B), vessels sailing for Israeli ports (criteria C) and those owned by the US or UK entities and/or sailing under their flags (criteria D).

Effective Sunday, the HOCC said it was “stopping sanctions on vessels listed under the ban criteria (A, B, C, D) outlined in the table above, except for vessels wholly owned by Israeli individuals or entities and/or sailing under the Israeli flag.

“These vessels will remain prohibited from transiting the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean at present. Sanctions on them will be stopped upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement.

“We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor state(s). You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented.”

Houthis have not successfully attacked any ship transiting the Red Sea area since November.