Houthis Plan Red Sea Security Webinar… Yes, Really

After a year of drone and missile attacks against merchant and naval vessels, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group is now extending an olive branch of sorts—by planning a seminar and webinar on “security of navigation in the Red Sea.”

In an unexpected twist, the group has apparently reached out to industry insiders for agenda ideas and insights to “enrich the discussion.”

The email, sent to TradeWinds by an events manager for the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), is raising eyebrows across the shipping community. HOCC is the same entity that has issued threats to shipping companies and shipowners, including warnings earlier this year that vessels failing to cooperate with Houthi authorities would be “banned” from crossing the Red Sea.

Those warnings also included direct threats that ships calling at Israeli ports would be “directly targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces” in locations “deemed appropriate.”

In stark contrast, the latest email strikes a markedly softer tone. It invites industry participation to discuss the “current state of navigation security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden” and Yemen’s role in ensuring safe passage.

“Within the framework of enhancing cooperation and discussing issues of common interest,” the email reads, “your active participation will undoubtedly contribute to ensuring the success of this event and achieving the desired effect.”

Experts warn that responding could inadvertently legitimize the group’s actions.

For now, the irony of a group responsible for widespread shipping disruptions hosting a webinar on navigation security is not lost on anyone. Whether the invitation sees takers, however, remains another matter entirely.

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