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Bab el-Mandeb Strait: How targeted Houthi attacks and geopolitical tensions helped strangle shipping through this strategic chokepoint

By arseniotoledo // 2025-01-21

• The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical 20-mile-wide maritime passage, has become a geopolitical flashpoint, impacting global trade, energy security and regional stability due to Houthi attacks on commercial ships since late 2023.
• Houthi missile and drone strikes, initially targeting Israel-linked vessels, have expanded to include all Western shipping, forcing major shipping companies to reroute via South Africa, increasing costs and delays.
• The strait, historically contested and vital for global oil shipments, saw oil traffic drop by over 50 percent in 2024, highlighting its role as a linchpin in global energy markets and maritime trade.
• The strait’s strategic importance is amplified by U.S.-China rivalry and intra-Gulf competition, with both nations maintaining military bases in Djibouti, further entangling global powers in the region’s instability.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow 20-mile-wide passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, has in recent years become a flashpoint in global geopolitics, with far-reaching implications for international trade, energy security and regional stability. Since November 2023, Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched a series of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships traversing this critical waterway. These attacks, initially targeting vessels linked to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have since expanded to include ships associated with the United States and the United Kingdom. (Related: Red Sea shootdown: Did the Houthis play a role in the U.S. navy's "friendly fire" incident?) The resulting disruption has forced major shipping companies to reroute around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, increasing costs and delivery times while reshaping global trade flows. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been a focal point of global trade for centuries, serving as a gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its control has been contested by empires and nations alike, from the Ottomans to the British. Today, it remains a critical artery for global commerce, particularly for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia. In 2023, an estimated 8.7 million barrels of oil per day flowed through the strait, but by August 2024, that figure had plummeted to 4.0 million barrels per day. The strait’s importance is magnified by its location in the Horn of Africa, a region historically plagued by instability but increasingly seen as a hub for economic and geopolitical competition. Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with global powers such as China, have invested heavily in ports and infrastructure in the region, seeking to secure their interests in this vital maritime corridor. China, in particular, has established a significant presence in Djibouti, home to its first overseas military base, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

Targeted Houthi strikes and threats against shipping successfully choke traffic through Bab el-Mandeb

The Houthi attacks have slashed oil traffic through the strait by over 50 percent in the first eight months of 2024, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This decline underscores the strait's role as a linchpin in global energy markets, with 15 percent of global maritime trade passing through it annually. Israel, the U.S. and their allies have responded with military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, aiming to restore freedom of navigation and stabilize energy markets. However, the situation remains precarious. The Houthi attacks are not merely a local conflict but part of a broader proxy war between Iran and its rivals. The Houthis, a Shia rebel group that controls much of western Yemen, have leveraged their position along the strait to disrupt global trade and pressure the U.S. and its allies. Their actions have drawn international condemnation but also exposed the limits of military deterrence. "The inability of oil to transit a major chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial supply delays and higher shipping costs, resulting in higher world energy prices," the EIA noted in a recent report. The crisis has also highlighted the strait's strategic importance in the broader context of U.S.-China rivalry and intra-Gulf competition, with both nations maintaining military bases in Djibouti, which flanks the strait. "Overtly deterring the Iranian-backed Houthis means the U.S. would need to be willing to engage in a wider military confrontation with Iran," said Joe Macaron, a Middle East Program Global Fellow for the Wilson Center. This dynamic complicates efforts to stabilize the region, particularly as Arab and European allies remain reluctant to join a broader military campaign. Find more stories like this at SupplyChainWarning.com. Watch this video showcasing how Houthi missiles set fire to a Norwegian tanker traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

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