23JUL

Seven ships veer clear of the strait

1 min read

20:33UTC

Seven vessels have diverted away from the Bab al-Mandab since the tanker strikes, according to ship-tracking data, closing the southern reroute in practice.

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Key takeaway

With ships avoiding both straits, Gulf-to-Europe crude faces the long route round the Cape and a wider insurance exclusion.

Seven vessels have diverted away from the Bab al-Mandab since the 22 July tanker strikes, according to ship-tracking data ¹. The strait, the southern passage past Yemen through which Gulf oil reaches the Suez Canal, had absorbed traffic pushed off the Hormuz route as the northern chokepoint tightened.

The diversions turn a single attack into a routing problem for every owner weighing the southern passage. Hormuz weekly transits had already fallen 66% before this ; avoiding the Bab al-Mandab as well leaves the long haul around the Cape of Good Hope as the remaining way from the Gulf to Europe, adding roughly ten days and the fuel bill to match. War-risk underwriters, who have held a Hormuz exclusion for weeks, now have a fresh southern-strait case on which to widen it.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Ship-tracking data shows seven vessels have chosen to avoid the Bab al-Mandab strait entirely since the tanker strikes began, sailing the long way round Africa instead. It is a small number so far, but it shows some shipping companies have decided the risk of sailing through the strait is no longer worth it, whatever the extra cost of the longer route.

Sources:Al Jazeera·Axios

Mentions:Bab al-Mandeb →Houthis →Cape of Good Hope →Yemen →

First Reported In

Update #160 · Houthis hit Saudi tankers; Brent tops $100

Al Jazeera· 23 Jul 2026

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Causes and effects

Caused by

Houthis fire on the Saudi tanker Encelia

The tanker strikes prompted seven vessels to divert away from the Bab al-Mandab.

Occurred 21 Jul 2026

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This Event

Seven ships veer clear of the strait

Rerouting away from the Bab al-Mandab as well as Hormuz leaves the long haul round the Cape as the remaining option and widens the war-risk exclusion.

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