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Houthis hit Saudi tankers
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait reduced significantly on Wednesday from the previous day, with Kpler data showing just two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, down from eight vessels a day earlier.
“Just two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz”
The same Kpler data showed that in the Bab el-Mandeb, only one commodity vessel, a Bahamas-flagged dry bulk carrier, crossed the strait on Wednesday, down from 20 the previous day.
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, while there was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia on either incident.
Reuters reporting cited that roughly 130 to 140 ships would typically transit the Strait of Hormuz before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, and that Iran responded by closing the strait.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea since last month in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.
Traffic drops, risks rise
The Jerusalem Post reported that shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait reduced significantly on Wednesday from the previous day, with just two vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz including a Panama-flagged coal-laden carrier entering and another Marshall Islands-flagged vessel exiting.
In the Bab el-Mandeb, the Jerusalem Post said only one commodity vessel, a Bahamas-flagged dry bulk carrier, crossed on Wednesday, down from 20 the previous day, citing Kpler data.
The Internazionale report also linked the sharp decline in vessel movements to the Houthis’ claimed missile attacks, noting that there was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia on either incident.
In a separate framing, the Modern Diplomacy report said shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb Strait fell sharply on Wednesday after Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed missile attacks on Saudi oil tankers, raising fresh concerns over the security of global energy supply routes.
Modern Diplomacy added that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of the U.S. Israeli war has already disrupted one of the world’s busiest energy corridors, while the Houthis have expanded attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
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An S&P Global report cited by India Shipping News said shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz declined further on August 3, with total crossings falling to 15 from a revised 19 a day earlier.
“Crossings through the Strait of Hormuz reached 15 on August 3”
India Shipping News also reported that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait dropped to its lowest level in over two months, with traffic through the strait falling sharply to 21 transits on August 3, down from 36 on August 2, marking the lowest daily level within the current reporting period since June 1.
The same S&P Global report said the UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported a fresh security incident on the evening of August 3, with a cargo vessel struck by an unidentified projectile 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman.
In the Red Sea, the Bloomberg report said the giant crude tanker “Bahla” entered through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Monday, with transmitters and receivers operating, after having been anchored in the Gulf of Oman since early July.
Bloomberg also reported that crude oil continues to depart the Arabian Gulf, typically aboard tankers that have had their transmitters and receivers turned off, while empty ships pass in darkness.
