Houthi Attack Disrupts Red Sea Shipping Amid Escalating US-Iran Conflict
Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb declined on Sunday after Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast. According to data from Kpler, only eleven commodity vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, marking a significant drop in recent months.
The disruption has affected Red Sea shipping since last week, with the Houthis aiming to block Saudi exports and expand the US-Iran conflict that has already choked oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Among the vessels that passed through Bab el-Mandeb on Sunday were seven oil tankers, three of which entered the Red Sea. Two of these VLCCs were headed to Yanbu to load Saudi crude.
The attack by Houthi rebels targeted sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. Despite the US and Iran pausing strikes in the Middle East, shipping data shows that fewer than ten commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily over the weekend.