Yemen's Houthis granting ships safe passage via email: Report

Yemen’s Houthis are controlling maritime transit of the Red Sea through a system under which vessels can request safe passage via email, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The Houthis, who control swaths of Yemen, declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia earlier this year, after which some ships began contacting them before transiting the Red Sea, the Journal reported. If the Houthis reply, they typically do so within 24 hours, the newspaper said, citing crew member accounts and emails it reviewed. The Journal included one email in which the master of an unnamed ship declared it “has no connections with Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States of America” and said “we kindly request your confirmation for safe passage.” Vessels allegedly linked to those countries have been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis. In another email, the Houthis responded to a separate request from a Chinese container ship: “We hope you are keeping well. We are glad that you understood the criteria for the scope of the vessels ban,” they said. The Houthis said the ship had a permit for transit that is valid for seven days, adding: “We also invite you to subscribe to our email alert service to receive the latest news and updates.” Container shipping vessels transit the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the UAE, 13 October 2026 (AFP)