Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he has convinced the US that diplomatic jawboning and verbal condemnations of the Houthi rebel attacks are the best way for Australia to assist a coalition of allied nations securing global shipping in the Red Sea.

Failing again to confirm whether Australia has declined a US Navy request to send warships because of a dearth of capacity and a need to shore up operations in the Pacific, Mr Albanese also indicated he is yet to decide whether to send additional personnel to a 39-country joint maritime force in Bahrain that already includes five Australians.