Red Sea Shipping Continues Despite Houthi Threats and Hormuz Disruptions

The Red Sea has seen commercial traffic continue despite Houthi threats, with over a dozen oil tankers sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as of Tuesday evening. This comes after President Donald Trump signaled a return to negotiations to end the US-Iran war, which had brought shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill.

The Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi shipping on July 20 and targeted crude transport infrastructure linked to Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline. However, unlike last year's campaign, vessels continue to transit the waterway, with ship-tracking data showing Bab el-Mandeb crossings fell roughly 22% in the six days after the Houthi declaration.

The evolving routing reflects mounting security concerns, with vessel operators increasingly making voyage decisions based on real-time risk assessments. Shipping patterns are becoming more complex, with some oil tankers taking longer routes through the Suez Canal rather than risking Bab el-Mandeb.