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A Generous Offer from the Houthi

Writer's picture: Mark WilliamsMark Williams

This arrived unsolicited in my email inbox on Sunday evening:


QUOTE


Subject: Stopping the sanctions imposed on vessels listed on the ban lists.

To: The owners, managers and operators of vessels and fleets, Shipowners and Operators Associations, Shipping Chambers, The governmental authorities for maritime affairs, Seamen's unions, P&I insurance Associations/companies, International news companies/agencies and maritime news and information platforms.

Date: 19/01/2025

Importance: High.

Ban Criteria

  1. Vessels owned wholly and/or partially by Israeli individuals or entities, and/or sailing under its flag.

  1. Vessels managed and/or operated by Israeli individuals or entities.

  1. Vessels heading to Israel ports.

  1. Vessels owned by United States of America and/or United Kingdom individuals or entities, and/or sailing under their flags.

In light of the fact that the military operations carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces are linked to the events in Gaza and are considered support for the just cause of the Palestinian people, who are subjected to an unjust siege and the continuation of horrific and brutal massacres by the usurping Israeli entity, and with the commencement of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on the morning of Sunday, 19/01/2025.

The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) announces the following, effective Sunday, 19/01/2025:

  1. Stopping sanctions on vessels listed under the ban criteria (A, B, C, D) outlined in the table above, except for vessels wholly owned by Israeli individuals or entities and/or sailing under the Israeli flag. These vessels will remain prohibited from transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean at present. Sanctions on them will be stopped upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement. We will keep you updated on any changes regarding this matter.

  2. We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor state (s). You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented.

We hope you understand that the actions taken by the Yemeni Armed Forces through these sanctions stemmed from a sense of religious, humanitarian, and moral responsibility toward the oppressed Palestinian people, to put an end to the crimes of genocide and to stop the starvation and blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Best regards,

HOCC.

Republic of Yemen - Sana'a.

 

 UNQUOTE


Whatever your stance on the conflict in Gaza, there are some points worth unpicking about how the Houthi present their position.


Firstly, attacks on commercial shipping are represented as "sanctions." That seems unjustified. Sanctions are economic acts which fall short of violence or acts of war or piracy. The Houthi attacks on commercial shipping breach international law and several IMO conventions on freedom of navigation.


Second, with the ceasefire in Gaza stumbling into effect, the Houthi are reserving the right to continue their effective blockade of the Red Sea, driving most ships round the Cape of Good Hope. The Economist magazine estimates the extra cost to be over USD 150 Bn a year (though it does not show how it arrived at this estimate).


Thirdly, as their press release makes clear, not all ships are targeted. But what the press release does not admit is that the Houthi have already made billions of dollars from charging some vessels for unmolested passage to the Suez Canal. Their position is shifting - less like piracy, more like a protection racket.


Fourthly, you can pay up, cross your fingers and transit the Red Sea. Some owners already do this. More will follow. A two-tier market could be created. The Houthi will be enriched. The capital costs of their campaign, in drones and missiles, is far lower than the funds they could receive. They will only be emboldened to continue with their faux-legitimacy. If there is a protection racket in your neighbourhood and there is no police force available or willing to break it up, your options are to pay up for a quiet life, risk violence or move to another neighbourhood. All the options come with costs.


Fifthly, it will not have escaped the attention of other groups in other places that trade chokepoints are prime locations for highway robbery, extortion and racketeering. Perhaps the fear of such risks is the foundation of the emerging US foreign policy which recasts the US more openly as an empire.


Finally, in our new multipolar world, deglobalisation is not only a reality but is being surpassed by a return to great power politics in which the great powers openly seek to control their so called near abroad. Smaller powers will copy the policy. The risks to freedom of navigation will rise not just in the Red Sea but around the world. Ship owners will begin to think strategically about which flag states they use to flag their vessels.


P.S. Who knows how valid any of these considerations will be after Mr Trump gives his inaugural address later today?






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