Following the coming into effect of the formal ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement, issued an order to suspend attacks on Israeli and Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
A maritime security assessment for the Red Sea issued by Vanguard warns that this cessation is conditional and fragile, with Houthi sources emphasising that it will remain in place only as long as Israel refrains from renewed hostilities in Gaza. Any breach by Israel – such as airstrikes, military incursions, or perceived provocations – would likely trigger an immediate resumption of maritime attacks.
Vanguard further report that although isolated violations and low-level hostilities persist in Gaza, the ceasefire is largely holding, and there has been no significant escalation. Similarly, Houthi activity has remained broadly aligned with the current ceasefire dynamics.
Offensive actions or attacks on vessels in the Northern Red Sea, at any Suez ports, or north of 18N remain a rare occurrence, with no successful incidents reported as of 20 January 2026. However, there was a distinct escalation recorded towards the end of Q3 2025, with the attempted Houthi attack on a tanker on 31 August, approximately 40nm southwest of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia; and the 2 September claim of a strike on a container ship using drones and a winged missile.
US MARAD Advisory 2025-012: ‘Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Somali Basin-Houthi Attacks on Commercial Vessels’ remains active.
US MARAD Advisory 2026-002: ‘Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom’ was issued on 9 February 2026.
GPS jamming and spoofing in this region is a concern, more on which can be found here in our earlier article here.
Joint War Committee
The Joint War Committee issued JWLA-32 which amends the Listed Area of Indian Ocean, GoA and Red Sea as follows:
The waters enclosed by the following boundaries:
• on the northwest, by the Red Sea, south of Latitude 18°N
• on the northeast, from the Yemen border at 16°38.5’N, 53°6.5’E to high seas point 14°55’N, 53°50’E
• on the east, by a line from high seas point 14°55’N, 53°50’E to high seas point 10°48’N, 60°15’E, thence to high seas point 6°45’S, 48°45’E
• and on the southwest, by the Somalia border at 1°40’S, 41°34’E, to high seas point 6°45’S, 48°45’E
• excepting coastal waters of adjoining territories up to 12 nautical miles offshore unless otherwise provided.
Resources and Industry Associations’ Guidance
Guidance from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) dated 20 January 2025 can be read here.
On 5 February 2024, shipping associations BIMCO, ICS, CLIA, IMCA, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and OCIMF updated their security guidance applicable to navigating in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The guidance emphasises the importance of conducting a thorough ship and voyage-specific threat and risk assessment considering any additional advice from the ship’s flag state before passing through the area in question. The full guidance is available here.
With the threat of attack by UAVs (drones), a reminder that OCIMF has issued a guide to its members ‘Loitering Munitions – the Threat to Merchant Ships’ which can be found here.
The International Bargaining Forum (IBF) agreed to designate the southern section of the Red Sea and the Strait as a ‘High-Risk Area’ with effect from 22 December 2023.
Security advice can be downloaded from the shipping industry’s Maritime Global Security website.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) website maintains a summary of the latest incidents in the region.
Military Presence
The EU’s naval mission EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, launched in February 2024, has been extended until 28 February 2026. It is a defensive mission aimed at protecting merchant shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al Mandab, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf.
In December 2023, the United States announced the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea following the recent attacks on merchant vessels by the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis.
Source: NorthStandard
