Houthi Offensive Near Bab Al Mandab Raises New Threat to Global Shipping as Hormuz Disruption Escalates
Why Bab Al Mandab matters
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Strategic gateway: Bab Al Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, making it a critical link between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
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Route to Suez: Ships using the Suez Canal to travel between Asia and Europe must pass through Bab Al Mandab. Avoiding it can mean the much longer voyage around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
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Narrow chokepoint: The strait is only about 30km wide at its narrowest, making shipping particularly vulnerable to conflict or disruption.
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Oil lifeline: Its importance has grown during the US-Iran war as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased reliance on alternative routes, including Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea export route.
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Houthi threat: The Houthis already hold Hodeida, north of Mokha, and have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Their latest push towards Mokha and high ground near Bab Al Mandab could strengthen their ability to threaten the route.
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Global consequences: Any serious disruption would hit oil shipments and Asia-Europe trade, potentially forcing more vessels onto the longer route around Africa.
Another shipping route under pressure
A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News — both in print and online — focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics.
Stephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes — shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision.
For the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging.