An explosion has struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship traveling north through the Red Sea. It sparked a major fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has released the crew of a cargo ship more than a year after its fighters hijacked the vessel in the Red Sea, as part of its campaign of attacks in support of Hamas in its war against Israel.

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.

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

U.S. ships are returning to the Red Sea following promises from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to abstain from attacks on American and British vessels. The pledge, which comes after more than a year of

An explosion forced the crew of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship to abandon the vessel Tuesday near the coast of Yemen, shipping industry officials said.

An official described the cargo aboard the ASL Bauhinia container ship as ‘dangerous’. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.