Houthi Attacks Disrupt Ship Traffic Through Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz Straits

Yemen's Houthi rebels have disrupted ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, slowing down the transit of commodity vessels. According to shipping data from Kpler, only eleven vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months.

The disruption is a result of the Houthis' attempt to blockade Saudi exports, which has expanded the US-Iran conflict that has already choked oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday.

Of the eleven vessels that passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, seven were oil tankers. Two of them are very large crude carriers (VLCCs) heading to the port of Yanbu to load Saudi crude. The third is a Russian-linked ship.

The disruption has also affected traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where fewer than 10 commodity vessels passed daily over the weekend. Seven vessels transited on Sunday, including three Iranian-linked oil products tankers that exited the Strait.