Shipping traffic slows in Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb after Houthis say they attacked Saudi tanker

Maritime traffic through two of the world's most critical oil transit routes, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, saw a sharp decline on Wednesday. Shipping data revealed that only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz and a single commodity vessel transited the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This represents a dramatic drop from the typical daily flow of 130 to 140 ships that normally use these waterways.

The disruption comes amid ongoing tensions and attacks in the region. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced on Wednesday that they had launched missile attacks targeting a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu and another in the Gulf of Aden. However, Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed these alleged incidents.

These events follow a naval blockade imposed by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, which they attribute to a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation denied by Riyadh. The reduced shipping traffic highlights the growing impact of regional conflicts and Houthi actions on global trade and energy supply routes.

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Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Wednesday they had launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of the kingdom's Red Sea port city of Yanbu and another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.