Commercial shipping in the Red Sea continues to recover after the United States reached a ceasefire agreement with the Houthis, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, head of the EU’s Aspides maritime operation, said on Friday.
Every day, 36-37 merchant ships enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This is 60% more than the minimum recorded in August 2024.
The number of merchant ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait daily fell to 20-23 in August last year. Before the Houthi attacks began in November 2023, it reached 72-75.
The latest attack on a merchant ship took place in November 2024. The Houthis have narrowed their list of targets and now only threaten Israeli ships and ships that have any connection to Israel, Gryparis said.
“If your ship does not meet these criteria… there is a very high probability – more than 99% – that you will not be targeted by the Houthis,” the rear admiral stressed.
However, there is still no guarantee that a particular merchant ship will not be attacked.
With the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, Houthis took an active stance against Israel, joining the Shiite “axis of resistance” with the support of Iran.
The movement began attempting to seize Israeli-linked ships. In addition, the Houthis regularly fired on Israeli ships. Companies engaged in maritime transport in the Red Sea began to refuse to use routes near the Yemeni coast.
On March 15, 2025, the US, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump, launched massive strikes against Houthi positions. The aim of the operation was to protect American interests and ensure freedom of navigation.
The US and the Houthis, with the mediation of Oman, agreed to a ceasefire on May 6, 2025.
