Gulf Shipping Slows as Houthi Attacks Disrupt Regional Trade
Shipping through critical waterways in the Gulf slowed down significantly on Wednesday due to Houthi attacks and ongoing tensions between Iran and its regional rivals. According to shipping data from Kpler, just three vessels crossed the key maritime chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
The Strait of Hormuz saw only two vessels, a coal-laden carrier entering the waterway and another commodity vessel exiting, down from eight vessels the previous day. Typically, around 130 to 140 ships would transit this waterway before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
In contrast, the Bab el-Mandeb saw only one commodity vessel, a Bahamas-flagged dry bulk carrier, cross the strait on Wednesday, down from 20 vessels the previous day. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed to have launched missile attacks on Saudi oil tankers off the coast of Yanbu and in the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthi's naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea has already disrupted regional trade, with Riyadh denying allegations of a siege on Yemen.