- Transits hit their highest level since January 2024.
- Bulk carriers and LPG tankers showed the biggest increases month on month.
- Evidence that certain owners and operators undeterred despite ongoing attacks.
The sinking of two bulk carriers by the Houthis in July 2025 has not dissuaded some shipowners from sending their vessels through the chokepoint, reports Lloyd’s List.
Bab el-Mandeb transits surge to highest level
Transits through the Bab el Mandeb last month hit their highest level since January 2024, when shipping decided to leave the region en masse following the first Houthi attacks in late 2023. Preliminary data shows voyages through the chokepoint in August 2025 numbered 1,044, up nearly 10% on July 2025’s figure of 952.
While not the largest monthly figure by total dwt, the increase shows a returning confidence among some shipowners to use the route that has claimed the lives of several seafarers and vessels since the Houthis began their campaign on shipping in November 2023.
Even the attacks on Magic Seas (IMO: 9736169) and Eternity C (IMO: 9588249), which saw both bulkers lost in July 2025 (and in the case of Eternity C claimed the lives of four seafarers, with many more in Houthi hands), has not dissuaded shipowners from using the route.
Dryad Global’s senior intelligence analyst Scarlett Suarez said last month’s spike was driven partly by “risk normalisation” to the Houthi threat among some shipowners.
LPG tankers showed the biggest increase in transits month on month, up 75% from 12 to 21 transits.
This is the highest level of traffic since December 2023, but still a long way from normal levels, with 68 transits recorded in August 2023.
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Source: Lloyd’s List
