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Vessel traffic plunges at Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb amid Houthi claim
Ship-tracking data cited by Reuters shows Strait of Hormuz transits fell to 2 vessels on Wednesday from 8 on Tuesday, while Bab el-Mandeb saw 1 commodity vessel transit versus 20 the prior day.
Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint in the Red Sea fell sharply on Wednesday following a Houthi claim that it hit a Saudi oil tanker, according to ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters.
Reuters data showed only two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, down from eight on Tuesday. At Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea into the Arabian Sea, only one commodity vessel transited on Wednesday compared with 20 on Tuesday, based on Kpler data cited by Reuters.
The Iran-aligned Houthi group said it carried out an operation targeting the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa north of the Red Sea using ballistic missiles, according to a statement carried by Al Bawaba. The tanker was last seen transmitting on July 19 southbound toward Bab el-Mandeb and has been dark since then, maritime intelligence group Windward reported.
After a July 22 blockade announcement, Windward analysts said the WAFA likely turned back north through Saudi coastal waters, where the missiles found it hundreds of kilometers from the declared blockade zone. OilPrice reports that the disruptions to shipping corridors raise the risk of ongoing instability around key routes used for energy flows.