Shipping Companies Are Entering Agreement With Houthis To Avoid Attack: Report

As the Red Sea crisis intensifies, shipping companies are allegedly “bribing” Houthis seeking not to target their ships in the region. As per report from ShippingWatch, a Danish maritime news agency, a containership line may have bribed the Yemeni group to avoid the targeting of their vessels.

According to ShippingWatch, the first shipping lines have reached agreement with Houthis of Yemen to allow passage through the strategic shipping route. A few meetings have reportedly taken place to make sure Houthis allow ships to pass through the Suez Canal unharmed.

In return to the free shipping of the through Red Sea, Houthis demanded the shipping companies to guarantee about not to carry Israeli cargo or dock in Israeli airport. Reportedly, the Houthis demanded that ships that announces “we have no relationship with Israel” will be allowed pass through the trade route unharmed. According to the report, the first agreement was reached at the end of December.

The news agency tried to reach to major shipping companies like Maersk, Cosco and CMA, to know if any agreement was reached, but failed to get any response. It said that the said largest container carriers are not among the companies that are striking deal with Houthis. According to Bloomberg, shipping giants like Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk denied about reaching any pact with the Houthis.

Houthis, the Yemeni group vowed to attack shipping through Red Sea declaring their solidarity with Hamas, the resistance group of Gaza. Houthis claimed their attack to target only the shipping that have any link to Israel, and vowed to continue the attack until Netanyahu’s force stop the genocidal bombing in Gaza.

A US-led 12 nation coalition was formed to beat the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, worsening the courage to pass through the route, as reports of clashes between US and Houthis has started to come on daily basis. The disruption in maritime trade route has forced the shipping company to take longer route via the Cape of Good Hope of South Africa, leading to delay in the delivery time of the goods and skyrocketing frights.

According to ShippingWatch, experts responding to the report of the alleged agreement between shipping companies and Houthis was that such developments may ease the tensions and may encourage shipping groups to resume the Red Sea route.