ATHENS (Reuters) – Maritime security officials said on Thursday they were expecting Yemen’s Houthi militia to announce a halt in attacks on ships in the Red Sea, after a ceasefire deal in the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
The experts pointed to an email, seen by Reuters, from the group postponing a planned security briefing that had been due to take place in the coming days as a possible signal.
The Houthis’ leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, is also due to give a speech later on Thursday, as he does most weeks, and speculation has mounted in the region that he may use the occasion to announce a pause off the back of the Gaza deal.
The Houthi group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The group has carried out more than 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year.
“British, American and Israeli strikes have succeeded in significantly limiting the attacks by Houthis, who are looking for a pretext to announce a ceasefire,” Dimitris Maniatis, the chief executive officer of maritime security company Marisks told Reuters regarding the briefing postponement.
Another maritime security official said that an announcement was largely expected and there were indications that some companies were preparing to resume Red Sea journeys but it was still too early to say that traffic would be restored.
“The first sign that business returns to normal will be seen in the insurance market, as insurance fees will start decreasing,” the official said.
A second maritime official, who also asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said that a halt in attacks was widely expected but was not able to confirm it.
In the email seen by Reuters, the Houthis said that the security webinar, aimed at shipping and maritime companies and the first such invitation they had issued, had been postponed to Feb. 10 due to the large number of questions and suggestions received from participants.
“This will ensure that the event is more comprehensive and beneficial for all attendees,” they said in the email on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul and Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Alison Williams)
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