UK, US ships return to Red Sea as Houthi ceasefire holds

British and American ships have begun returning to the Red Sea after the Houthis pledged to end their attacks in the wake of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Six ships associated with the two countries transited the Red Sea without being targeted by the Yemeni group in the week after the truce came into effect on 19 January, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a multilateral agency set up last year to monitor attacks in the area.

“JMIC assesses that as the peace agreement progresses and vessels and infrastructure remain untargeted, improved stability is expected; however, the risk in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden remain elevated,” it wrote in its latest weekly report on Monday.

It didn’t disclose any information about the ships.

The Houthis said they would end their attacks on ships linked to the UK and US in response to the six-week ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, though Israeli-flagged vessels, and ships belonging to Israeli individuals and organisations, will continue to be targeted.

The Yemeni group also released the detained crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier it hijacked in the Red Sea in November 2023.

The Yemeni group has caused significant disruption to global trade for more than a year after it began targeting Israel-linked commercial and military ships in a bid to impose a trade embargo on the country for its brutal attack on Gaza.

It began attacking ships associated with the UK and US in January 2024 after the two countries began striking Houthi targets.

JMIC has recorded 112 separate incidents in the area since November 2023.

The attacks caused many shipping lines to avoid the Red Sea and divert cargoes around Africa, slowing East-West trade and increasing shipping costs.

Several of the world’s largest shipping companies – including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC – said they will not return to the Red Sea until the risks of renewed conflict in the region have reduced.