Houthis ready to attack ships at Bab almandab Strait
Yemen's Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping near the Bab almandab Strait, deploying missiles and drones, a U.S. Navy-led maritime center warned. The group declared a Saudi maritime embargo this week, and several tankers with Saudi cargo turned around before reaching the chokepoint.
Key Takeaways
- The Joint Maritime Information Center said sources close to the Houthis reported missiles and drones positioned near the Bab almandab Strait.
- JMIC called the southern Red Sea threat "moderate," saying commercial lanes were still used Tuesday with no attacks in the prior two days.
- Kpler saw a 34% drop in Bab el-Mandeb traffic Tuesday versus Monday; Windward said four Saudi-linked tankers turned around.
- Washington and Islamabad condemned Houthi threats to Red Sea shipping and Saudi Arabia.
According to CNBC, Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen have finished preparations to strike vessels at the Red Sea's southern gateway. The Bahrain-based Joint Maritime Information Center issued a Tuesday notice to mariners.
"Sources close to the group stated that the Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping, including the deployment of missiles and drones positioned near Bab el-Mandeb," JMIC said.
Why does the Bab almandab Strait threat matter now?
The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday, threatening oil exports that have helped offset Hormuz disruptions.
CNBC, citing Kpler, said Yanbu exports through the strait surged to 3.5 million barrels per day in June from 240,000 bpd a year earlier. Al Jazeera reported about 6 million barrels of crude a day moving through Bab al-Mandeb to Asia, with two-thirds from Saudi Arabia.
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Have ships already changed course through the Red Sea?
JMIC said commercial traffic continued Tuesday with no changes to established lanes and no attacks in the past two days. Kpler still observed a 34% decline in Bab el-Mandeb traffic Tuesday compared with Monday.
Windward said four tankers with Saudi cargo turned around before reaching the strait, carrying 3.8 million barrels of crude oil, gasoil and naphtha. Al Jazeera reported the Rodos and Xin Long Yang, with a combined 2.8 million barrels from Yanbu, reversed after heading toward Bab al-Mandeb.
Can the Suez Canal replace the Bab almandab Strait route?
Asian buyers may send Saudi crude northwest through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, then around Africa. Kpler estimated a Yanbu-to-South Korea voyage could rise from about 24 days to roughly 54 days.
Fully laden very large crude carriers cannot transit Suez, so operators would need Egypt's SUMED pipeline for lightering or smaller Suezmax tankers—raising costs and limiting how much oil can move, analysts told Al Jazeera.
How have the U.S. and Pakistan responded?
The United States and Pakistan condemned the Houthi Red Sea threats and the Saudi naval blockade. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said anything that restricts Red Sea shipping would be problematic for the same reasons as the Strait of Hormuz, and that Washington is closely monitoring the situation.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the threats violate international law, undermine freedom of navigation, and that any hostile act against Pakistani-flagged vessels would be a grave threat to national security.