In a noteworthy move, the livestock carrier Cattle Force recently reached out to the Houthis, emphasizing a shared religious affiliation in an apparent attempt to secure safe passage. As it approached the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's coast on Sunday, the vessel altered its publicly accessible destination signal, typically visible on the internet for most ships.

The signal was changed from an Iraqi port to a message reading "All Crew Muslims," presenting a unique approach to communication with the militants.

Upon successfully navigating through the strait on Monday morning, the vessel reverted its destination signal back to Iraq's Umm Qasr, according to tracking data scrutinized by Bloomberg.

This alteration seems to have served as a subtle message to the Houthis, who claim to target ships associated with Israel and its allies to exert pressure related to the conflict in Gaza.

The ongoing Houthi campaign has disrupted global shipping operations, leading to increased transport costs as vessels are forced to take detours, incurring additional fees for insurance and security. In previous instances, commercial ships had resorted to signaling destinations such as "No Relation to Israel" to reduce the likelihood of becoming targets for the Iran-backed militia.

It is noteworthy that the Togo-flagged Cattle Force is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States due to its ownership by UAE-based Swedish Management.

The U.S. alleges that Swedish Management is involved in Iran's oil and petrochemical exports. As of Monday, the website of Swedish Management was inaccessible.