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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 20 sources · 2 days · First seen 3 days ago · Last updated 1 day ago

Categories: INTERNATIONAL

Bab al-Mandeb traffic falls to months‑low after Houthi raids

Entities: Houthi movement · Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) · New Explorer · Red Sea · Jizan

Overview

India’s foreign ministry reiterated on 24 July that international law requires the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait to stay open for commerce, warning that global trade and energy security depend on free navigation. The Houthi movement responded, saying it had not closed the strait but limited actions to vessels tied to Saudi Arabia, claiming successful missile, drone and cruise‑missile strikes that set fire to two Saudi‑linked oil tankers, “Encelia” and “Laila”. Three days later maritime data showed a sharp drop in traffic, with only eleven commercial ships crossing the strait – the lowest level in months – after the Houthis launched attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. The group said it was attempting to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia as part of the broader US‑Iran proxy conflict. The reduced flow included seven oil tankers, among them the Hong‑Kong‑flagged VLCC New Explorer carrying about 2 million barrels of Saudi and UAE crude to China, a Russian‑linked tanker moving roughly 1 million barrels to China, and another tanker with roughly 750 000 barrels destined for Pakistan. Kpler data added that two Hong‑Kong‑flagged VLCCs together carried about 4 million barrels of Saudi crude to Chinese ports, and a Russian‑linked tanker moved a further million barrels. Traffic through the nearby Hormuz Strait also remained low, under ten merchant vessels per day. The disruptions have raised concerns about the security of a corridor handling about 12 % of worldwide trade, especially for energy supplies. On 25 July, Kpler again recorded only 11 commodity vessels – seven of them oil tankers – traversing Bab al‑Mandeb, confirming the months‑low level after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi‑linked shipping.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 12 SOURCES] Houthi forces attacked Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea ports of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. (Statements from Houthi armed forces representatives)
[● 11 SOURCES] The Houthi movement announced a maritime blockade aimed at Saudi‑linked shipping through the Bab el‑Mandeb. (multiple)
[● 11 SOURCES] Seven of the vessels crossing Bab el-Mandeb were oil tankers. (Kpler tracking data (multiple articles))
[● 11 SOURCES] The Hong‑Kong‑flagged VLCC New Explorer carried about 2 million barrels of Saudi and UAE crude to Ningbo, China. (multiple)
[● 11 SOURCES] A tanker linked to Russia moved roughly 1 million barrels of crude to China. (Kpler data (reported by Reuters))
[● 11 SOURCES] A tanker loaded with about 750,000 barrels of Saudi crude was bound for Pakistan. (Kpler data (multiple articles))
[● 8 SOURCES] The Houthi movement aims to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. (Houthi statements and analysis)
[● 8 SOURCES] Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained below ten merchant vessels per day over the weekend. (Kpler vessel‑tracking data)
[● 2 SOURCES] Two Hong‑Kong‑flagged supertankers together carried about 4 million barrels of Saudi crude to China. (multiple)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The United Nations reported that at least 6,000 seafarers were stranded on about 400 vessels in the Gulf region.

Timeline

1 day ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 18 sources
Houthi attacks cut Red Sea and Bab el‑Mandeb shipping to months‑low
Houthi strikes on Saudi Aramco sites and a declared blockade cut Bab el‑Mandeb traffic to 11 vessels (seven tankers) – the lowest in months – and also slowed Hormuz flows, affecting several oil tankers boundfor
3 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
India asserts open Bab al‑Mandeb shipping under international law
India’s foreign ministry said Bab al‑Mandeb must stay open under international law, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they only restrict Saudi‑linked ships and claim missile attacks on two oil tankers.

Sources

acvila30.ro · africtelegraph.com · alkhabaralyemeni.net · almanartv.com.lb · athina984.gr · bhaskarhindi.com · container-news.com · dailytimes.com.pk · denizhaber.com · dunya.com · ertnews.gr · hms.ba · khaama.com · koutipandoras.gr · mononews.gr · newsbeast.gr · omegalive.com.cy · ot.gr · pnn.ps · prismaradio.gr

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history