[REVISION HISTORY]
Bab al-Mandeb traffic falls to months‑low after Houthi raids
Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.
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2026-07-27 06:49 UTC → 2026-07-27 07:02 UTC ·
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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.
Versions
- 2026-07-27 07:02 UTC Bab al-Mandeb traffic falls to months‑low after Houthi raids
- 2026-07-27 06:49 UTC Bab al-Mandeb traffic falls to months‑low after Houthi raids
- 2026-07-27 06:49 UTC Houthi attacks on Bab al-Mandeb shipping
- 2026-07-27 05:24 UTC Houthi attacks on Bab al-Mandeb shipping
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