Houthi Attacks Snarl Shipping Traffic Through Gulf Chokepoints

Shipping traffic through key Gulf maritime chokepoints has slowed down significantly following reports of missile attacks on Saudi tankers by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. According to data from Kpler, only two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, compared to eight a day earlier. This is a sharp decline from the typical 130-140 ships that would pass through the waterway before the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait also saw reduced traffic, with only one vessel crossing on Wednesday, down from 20 the previous day. The Houthis claimed to have launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu and another in the Gulf of Aden. However, Saudi Arabia has not confirmed either incident.