Shipping traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait experienced a significant reduction on Wednesday compared to the preceding day, according to shipping data. This decrease follows claims by Yemen's Houthi rebels of missile attacks on Saudi oil tankers.
Data from Kpler indicated that only two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, a marked drop from eight vessels the previous day. One of these was a Panama-flagged coal carrier entering the waterway, and the other was a Marshall Islands-flagged commodity vessel exiting. Typically, before the conflict involving the U.S. and Iran began on February 28, which led to Iran temporarily closing the strait, approximately 130 to 140 ships would pass through this chokepoint daily.
The Bab-el-Mandeb strait also saw a substantial decline in traffic. Kpler data revealed that only one commodity vessel, a Bahamas-flagged dry bulk carrier, crossed the strait on Wednesday, down from 20 vessels the day before.
On Wednesday, the Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, announced they had carried out a missile strike on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu, a Red Sea port city in Saudi Arabia. They also claimed to have launched another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed either incident.
The Houthi movement has maintained a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea since the previous month. This action was stated as a response to what they characterized as a siege imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemen, an allegation that Riyadh has refuted.
