Ship Traffic Through Bab al-Mandab Hits Lowest Point in Months

Shipping data released by Kepler on Monday indicated a decline in vessel traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Sunday, following attacks by Houthi militias on Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast.

At the same time, transit rates through the Strait of Hormuz remained low at the start of this week.

The data showed that 11 ships carrying raw materials passed through Bab al-Mandab on Sunday, marking the lowest level recorded in several months.

Navigation in the Red Sea off Yemen's coast has been disrupted since last week's Houthi attacks, intensifying the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which had previously affected oil supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Among the vessels that crossed Bab al-Mandab, seven were oil tankers, with three entering the Red Sea.

The data also revealed that two of these tankers were large crude carriers heading to the port of Yanbu to load Saudi oil, while the third tanker was connected to Russia.

Four ships departed the Red Sea on Sunday, including the giant crude tanker "New Explorer," flying the Hong Kong flag, which was transporting two million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude oil to Ningbo port in eastern China.

Additionally, a tanker carrying one million barrels of Russian crude oil to China and another loaded with approximately 750,000 barrels of Saudi crude oil bound for Pakistan left the Red Sea.

This marks the third large Chinese crude tanker to exit the Red Sea via the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Hong Kong-based company Associated Maritime Hong Kong, which operates the "New Explorer," did not respond to requests for comment outside of working hours.