Bab al-Mandab confounds Sanaa’s adversaries: Passage of 73 ships in 48 hours shatters “threat to navigation” scarecrow

TAIZ, Sept. 12 (YPA) – The strategic Yemeni strait of Bab al-Mandab in the Red Sea witnessed the passage of 73 ships within 48 hours, according to a source in the Yemeni Ministry of Transport—a striking indicator of the uninterrupted flow of international maritime traffic in one of the world’s most critical sea lanes.

In a press statement on Saturday, the source confirmed that the Yemeni ban imposed on Saudi shipping has not impacted the movement of international vessels transiting Bab al-Mandab, noting that maritime traffic continued along its routine course.

The source explained that the transit of 73 ships in two days represents approximately 98.6% of the average transit volume recorded prior to the Yemeni ban on Saudi shipping.

Based on the provided data, this demonstrates that the Yemeni measures have not affected international maritime traffic through the strait.

Furthermore, the source noted that actual ship traffic figures present a starkly different picture from the circulating claims regarding threats to international navigation in Bab al-Mandab.

The sustained flow of vessels at this level serves as a practical indicator that the maritime corridor remains open to international traffic.

These numbers come at a time of intensifying debate over maritime security in the Red Sea, following Sanaa’s consolidation of control over Bab al-Mandab and the Yemeni islands along the country’s western Red Sea coast.

Daily transit figures now directly challenge narratives of a widespread threat to international shipping, raising a straightforward question: if vessel movement is approaching pre-ban levels, to what extent can the narrative of a threat to international navigation hold up?

YPA