Despite the threats from Houthi militants, a fleet of containerships run by Chinese companies continue to use the Red Sea route. A leader of the Yemeni rebels recently mentioned one of these ships, claiming it had cooperated with the group's safe passage "solution". The proposal suggests that ships will not be attacked if they deny any association with Israel.
A tweet from Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader, called on ships to broadcast a "we have no relationship to Israel" message, presumably via AIS. He stated that a containership with the name starting Xin and IMO number 9139907 had complied and successfully navigated the Bab el Mandab Strait.
Despite the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea, the ships of another Chinese carrier specializing in Russian trades, NewNew Shipping, have not rerouted around Africa. One of its ships, the 2,045 teu Wan Xing Da, previously used on China's domestic trades, recently passed through Suez and is now in the Mediterranean Sea, heading for St. Petersburg.
The Houthi group claims to attack only ships going to and from Israel, protesting its war in Gaza. However, it has been challenging to establish such links with the ships attacked so far. The US mentioned in December that Tehran was "deeply involved" in planning the attacks in one of shipping's most crucial waterways, assisting the Houthis in selecting targets.
Source: lloydslist.com