Vessel transit in Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb drops sharply, raising concerns over energy supply and navigation safety amid rising regional tensions.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to two vessels, while in Bab al-Mandab it fell to one vessel.
Commercial traffic in two critical energy corridors of the world sharply declined on the same day. According to Kpler data, only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, where prior to the war, 130-140 vessels used to transit daily, while the number in Bab al-Mandab dropped from 20 to one. The Houthis' claim of launching missile attacks on two Saudi tankers has not been confirmed by Riyadh.
The navigation traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open seas, and Bab al-Mandab, located at the southern exit of the Red Sea, experienced a new contraction. According to a Reuters report dated August 6, based on Kpler vessel tracking data, only two vessels passed through Hormuz on Wednesday. This number was eight the day before; the usual daily movement before the war was at the level of 130-140 vessels. On the same day in Bab al-Mandab, only one cargo vessel was recorded; the previous day, 20 vessels had transited.
The decline in traffic came after the Houthis claimed to have launched missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers. According to the group's statement, one of the attacks occurred near Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, and the other in the Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia had not confirmed these claims at the time of this report. Therefore, these two attacks should be reported as statements from the Houthis, not as independently verified incidents.
Oil exports are still 40% below pre-war levels.
The drop in the number of transits not only raises concerns about navigation safety but also directly impacts tanker supply and energy prices. According to a separate Reuters analysis based on Kpler data, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran's crude oil and condensate exports in July averaged 10.7 million barrels per day. While the volume stabilized compared to June, it remained approximately 40% below pre-war levels. In July, at least 14 vessels reported attacks to the International Maritime Organization (IMO); this number was eight in June.
Iran announced that the draft agreement regarding Hormuz with Oman is in its final stages. However, it is still unclear whether the negotiations will evolve into a permanent and open regime for all flags. For shipowners, what will be decisive is not the diplomatic statements but actual safety, the scope of insurance coverage, and the establishment of continuous escort or traffic regulation between ports and straits.
Maritime impact: The simultaneous weakening of the two straits may increase ton-mile demand and the scarcity of suitable tankers; alternative routes may raise transit times, bunker consumption, and war risk premiums. For Turkey, the outcome may be reflected in the costs of crude oil and LNG supply, as well as in the reliability of schedules for Mediterranean-Suez connected routes.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
