Middle East: Disturbed vessel traffic in Bab el-Mandeb

Sin the last seven days, only five ships loaded with Saudi goods have left the Red Sea crossing Bab el-Mandeb, less than a third of the usual weekly traffic since January.

Traffic has been at very low levels since the week of 24 July when 11 boats were registered.

The Houthis, who face the Yemeni government supported by Riyadh, had then announced a blockade of the Saudi fleet, threatening to attack the ships.

In early September, they launched a lightning offensive and now control the entire Yemeni coast in the Red Sea, thus reinforcing their influence on the narrow strategic.

Bab el-Mandeb, which means “the door of lamentation” separates Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, from the Horn of Africa region and allows to connect Europe to Asia via the Suez Canal.

Apart from Saudi ships, oil flows have also fallen. Only about 3.4 million barrels have transited this route daily since September 11, against an average of 4.4 million in the period from January 1.

The Houthis claim that there is no threat to navigation on the sea corridor, except for Saudi Arabia's ships, the world's largest exporter of crude oil.

However, any attack would lead foreign shipowners to act prudently.

According to Kpler's data, the total traffic of ships carrying raw materials through the strait has been below normal in the last seven days, without, however, interrupting.

Some 24 ships have passed daily, one way or another, compared with an average of 31 passages since the beginning of the year.