A fire aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia on Tuesday was not linked to Houthi attacks, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center said on Wednesday.

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.

Despite a ceasefire in Gaza and assurances from Yemen's Houthi rebels to scale back attacks on international vessels in the Red Sea, major shipping companies remain hesitant to resume using the Suez Canal due to ongoing security concerns.

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.

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.

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

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.

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,

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.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Wednesday they 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.

An American destroyer, USS Spruance, shot down six missiles and seven drones during a recent Red Sea combat deployment.