Houthis deny plans to charge fees on ships sailing through Bab al-Mandab Strait

Yemen's Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) on Saturday denied plans to charge transit fees for commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. It also stated that safe passage remains completely free and voluntary calling any demand for money in exchange for passage unauthorized and illegitimate.

The Houthi coordination body maintains that vessels outside their declared Saudi-linked shipping blockade can cross the waterway without any cost.