Bab al-Mandab Strait has become one of the most watched shipping routes in the world as Yemen’s Houthis push closer to its shores. Known in Arabic as the Gate of Tears because of its long history of shipwrecks, the narrow waterway sits at the southern end of the Red Sea and links it to the Gulf of Aden. At its tightest point it measures only 30 kilometres across, separating Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea.
Normally this passage carries heavy traffic between Europe and Asia. Ships use it to reach the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, cutting thousands of kilometres off journeys that would otherwise go around Africa. In 2023 nearly 27,000 vessels passed through. By 2025 that number had fallen to just over 14,000 after Houthi attacks during the Gaza conflict. Traffic in the first eight months of 2026 still averages only about 41 ships a day, roughly half the pre-crisis level.
The latest fighting has raised fresh alarm. The Houthis recently seized the coastal city of Mokha and continue to attack Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. They have declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia but deny any plan to close the strait completely or demand transit fees. Security experts say the real danger is not a full shutdown but the constant uncertainty that keeps ships away.
Oil flows are especially sensitive. Before the wider Middle East war, about 12 percent of global oil shipments already used this route. After Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu jumped to nearly 3.8 million barrels a day. Those volumes later dropped sharply when Houthi attacks resumed in July. Analysts warn that prolonged instability will keep adding time and cost to Europe-Asia trade while hurting Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues.
Andreas Krieg of King’s College London notes that controlling the coast would give the Houthis major leverage, yet they can already create risk without full territorial control. As fighting continues and the group edges nearer the strait, the world’s energy and shipping markets are watching closely.
