The London-based International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has denied receiving a proposal from Yemen’s Houthi group regarding the possibility of direct talks between official representatives of the group and the Egyptian authorities, aimed at coordinating with the Suez Canal Authority and maritime ports to regulate shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
In an email sent to The New Arab, the ICS stressed that it had no direct contact with the Houthis.
Earlier, an informed Egyptian source told The New Arab that the country rejected a proposal from Yemen’s Houthi movement to establish new maritime security arrangements in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, fearing that engaging directly with the group could amount to implicit recognition of its authority.
The source said the Egyptian Chamber of Shipping in Alexandria had received a request from its London counterpart, which represents shipowners and operators in around 40 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The proposal sought an agreement between the Houthis and Cairo on new rules to ensure safe navigation through Bab al-Mandab, following the group's takeover of key islands and coastal cities on the Yemeni side of the strategic waterway.
However, Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie rejected the request outright, according to the source, who said Egypt would not give “an internationally unrecognised party an opportunity to obtain implicit recognition simply by responding to its message, even by telephone”.
The source, who requested anonymity, said Egyptian authorities had instead referred the proposal to security agencies to handle outside the state's official institutions.
The aim was to secure an end to attacks on ships passing through Bab al-Mandab, restore freedom of navigation and guarantee the safety of crews regardless of nationality, while preventing the Houthis or any other party from asserting control over the international maritime passage.
According to the source, Egypt's security and intelligence agencies have long maintained channels of communication with both sides of Yemen's conflict without granting the Houthis official recognition.
The contacts are intended to protect Egyptian vessels and international shipping in the Red Sea and Suez Canal from disruption caused by military operations, while preserving Cairo's position of recognising only Yemen's internationally recognised government.
Egypt recognises Yemen's internationally recognised government and has sought to avoid steps that could formally legitimise Houthi rule over territory under the group's control.
However, Cairo has not ruled out indirect contact with the Houthis as it attempts to protect shipping through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
The aim is to secure an end to attacks on vessels passing through Bab al-Mandab, restore freedom of navigation and protect crews regardless of nationality, while preventing the Houthis or another actor from establishing recognised authority over the international waterway.
Egyptian sovereign security agencies have already maintained channels with both sides of Yemen's conflict without granting the Houthis official recognition, the source said.
Cairo is particularly concerned that instability around Bab al-Mandab could further damage traffic through the Suez Canal, whose revenues have been severely affected by the Red Sea shipping crisis.
The Houthis had previously approached the London-based shipping body after taking control of Yemeni coastal cities, seeking an international conference on regulating navigation through Bab al-Mandab during their exchange of missile attacks with Israel in 2025, according to a Suez Canal Authority source.
That proposal was rejected because participating states did not recognise the Houthis and because internationally unrecognised political entities cannot participate in setting international maritime rules.
Egyptian officials fear that accepting the Houthis as a party capable of negotiating rules for passage through Bab al-Mandab could establish a new reality in which an internationally unrecognised armed group exercises de facto authority over one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints.
Mohamed Shireen al-Naggar, a transport expert and board member of the Alexandria Chamber of Shipping, told The New Arab that Houthi control around the entrance to Bab al-Mandab would not necessarily result in the strait being closed, but could leave shipping exposed to heightened risks even after active warfare ends.
"Shipping companies will not wait for another attack on vessels," he said, explaining that the presence of an armed force on islands and in coastal cities surrounding the strait would itself raise security risks.
This could push shipping companies towards the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing fuel consumption as well as shipping and insurance costs.
Despite Houthi assurances that vessels would be allowed through Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, with the exception of Saudi-linked ships, al-Naggar said current conditions posed a serious threat to maritime traffic.
Continued fighting would make companies reluctant to send cargo through the area, particularly highly flammable shipments of oil, gas and petroleum products, he said.
Oil and gas tankers travelling from the Gulf towards Europe and the Mediterranean could consequently face risks at two crucial chokepoints - the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.
Disruption at both would have significant consequences for Red Sea and Suez Canal traffic, while higher fuel, insurance and freight costs would ultimately feed into global transport, industrial and consumer prices.
Al-Naggar said Cairo's contacts through its security agencies with the Houthis and Iran, alongside official communication with Saudi Arabia and the US, were intended to prevent Houthi battlefield control around Bab al-Mandab from becoming a permanent threat to Red Sea navigation.
The risks could become particularly acute during the European winter, when demand for Gulf oil and gas rises.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reiterated Cairo's position during the latest BRICS meetings in New Delhi, saying that "Egypt rejects any attempts to militarise the Red Sea".
Sisi said developments in the Middle East and their impact on global trade, energy and supply chains demonstrated the "close interconnection between security and development", stressing the importance of maintaining the stability and freedom of international navigation.
This article has been updated to include denial by the ICS of any contacts with the Houthi group