Houthi Control of Bab el‑Mandeb Strait Threatens Global Trade
Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) has seized strategic positions near the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait — including the port of Mocha and Perim Island — severely disrupting one of the world’s key maritime routes. Since 2024, the group has regularly attacked Western oil tankers, and now threatens to block traffic through the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal. This development affects global oil trade, with Saudi Arabian exports also hit by the blockade.
The disruption has wide‑ranging consequences: four major shipping companies (CMA CGM, Hapag‑Lloyd, Maersk and MSC) — controlling 53 % of global container traffic — have suspended transits via the strait and rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. BP has halted all shipments through the Red Sea, and the diversion adds 2–3 weeks to Asia‑Europe delivery times, costing around $1 million extra in fuel per one‑way trip.
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Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) has seized strategic positions near the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait — including the port of Mocha and Perim Island — severely disrupting one of the world’s key maritime routes. Since 2024, the group has regularly attacked Western oil tankers, and now threatens to block traffic through the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal. This development affects global oil trade, with Saudi Arabian exports also hit by the blockade.
The disruption has wide‑ranging consequences: four major shipping companies (CMA CGM, Hapag‑Lloyd, Maersk and MSC) — controlling 53 % of global container traffic — have suspended transits via the strait and rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. BP has halted all shipments through the Red Sea, and the diversion adds 2–3 weeks to Asia‑Europe delivery times, costing around $1 million extra in fuel per one‑way trip.
Subscribe for Where it's hot|Geopolitics