Are Yemen’s Houthis planning to charge transit fees in Red Sea? Group says ‘any individual or entity...’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Are Yemen’s Houthis planning to charge transit fees in Red Sea? Group says ‘any individual or entity...’")
A photo taken from the Yemeni coast southwest of the city of Taiz, shows boats floating at Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the Red Sea, on July 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Houthis denied plans to impose fees on commercial ships using the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, calling transit free, after reports suggested Iran-backed rebels were considering charges on vessels in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime coordination body on Saturday (Aug 1) said that it has no plans to impose fees on commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying that shipping traffic through the key waterway remains free. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre (HOCC) on Saturday rejected claims, saying that its “safe transit service was a voluntary and cost-free service.”
“Any individual or entity requesting the payment of money in exchange for transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait does not represent the Republic of Yemen or HOCC in any capacity whatsoever,” the organisation said in a statement.
“The HOCC urges shipping companies not to make any payments or provide any information to unauthorised individuals or entities,” it added.
The clarification came days after a Reuters report suggested that the Iran-aligned Houthis were considering introducing charges on commercial vessels travelling through the southern Red Sea corridor. The report had cited regional sources who claimed that discussions over the proposal took place during a visit by Houthi officials to Tehran in July.
The report added that while the idea of imposing fees was discussed, no timeline for implementing such a measure had been finalised.
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The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea, is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. A significant share of global trade, including energy shipments, passes through the narrow waterway.
This comes amid rising tensions in the Red Sea region, where Houthi attacks on commercial vessels over the past months have disrupted global shipping routes and forced several companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. The group has previously targeted ships in the region, claiming its actions are linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
