British and American ships are tentatively returning to the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to hold off attacks on vessels linked to both nations, a sign that traffic on one of the world’s main trade routes could normalize after more than a year of disruption.

U.S. ships are returning to the Red Sea following promises from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to abstain from attacks on American and British vessels. The pledge, which comes after more than a year of shipping traffic disruption on a major international trade route,

Shipping companies expressed caution about using the shorter route between Asia and Europe that many ships have avoided for more than a year.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Operations at a Red Sea port in Yemen used for aid imports have fallen to about a quarter of its capacity, a UN official said on Tuesday, adding it was not certain that a Gaza ceasefire would end attacks between the Iran-backed Houthis and Israel.

The world’s top three container shippers, MSC Mediterranean Shipping, A.P. Møller-Maersk (OTCPK:AMKBY) (OTCPK:AMKBF) and CMA CGM, have said in recent days they will not send vessels back to the Red Sea despite a pledge by Houthi militants in Yemen not to attack them as long as a ceasefire in Gaza holds.

With the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Houthi rebels in Yemen have stopped missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and have also released a shipping crew held hostage for over a year.

Companies transporting their products around the world are not ready to return to the Red Sea trade route in the wake of a Gaza ceasefire deal because of uncertainty over whether Yemen's Houthis will continue to attack shipping,

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

US President Donald Trump's decision to re-designate Yemen's Huthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organisation could have deep implications for aid and the peace process in the war-shattered country.The Iran-backed Huthis,

Houthi, said the Iran-aligned group will monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and will continue its attacks on ships in the Red Sea if it is breached.

The move will authorize harsher penalties on the Iran-backed group, which has attacked Israel and disrupted global shipping trade in the Red Sea for over a year.