A second gateway under threat: Bab el-Mandeb draws fresh concern

The warning is stark – with one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints already under pressure, the loss of another could turn a regional shipping crisis into a far broader disruption.

“The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add the Bab al-Mandeb into that equation,” Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of media and communication at Qatar’s foreign ministry, told a briefing in Doha on 15 September.

“The whole world is going to suffer and it’s going to be catastrophic for the entire world,” he said.

Al Hashmi warned that repeated disruption to international waterways must not become the “new normal”, urging countries to work collectively to safeguard freedom of navigation and push for a diplomatic resolution.

For the shipping industry, the concern is straightforward. When critical sea lanes begin to close one after another, the consequences do not remain confined to the waters where the disruption begins and they ripple outward, through voyage times, freight costs, fuel demand and the reliability of global supply chains.

Houthis tighten grip around Bab el-Mandeb

The warning comes as the Iran-backed Houthi movement has strengthened its position around the southern Red Sea, raising fresh concerns over one of the world’s most strategically important shipping corridors.

Houthi and internationally recognised Yemeni government officials said on 14 September that the group had seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands following the withdrawal of government-allied forces. The Houthis already control the coastal port of Mokha and Perim Island, located at the entrance to Bab el-Mandeb.

The group has also launched attacks against Saudi oil infrastructure and commercial vessels in the Red Sea after announcing a blockade on Saudi shipping in July.

For shipping operators, the developments add another layer of uncertainty at a time when the wider conflict is already disrupting energy flows and vessel movements across the region.

Why the strait matters to shipping

Bab el-Mandeb, is a narrow maritime passage connecting the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea.

Its importance extends far beyond the waters immediately surrounding Yemen, as vessels sailing between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal must pass through Bab el-Mandeb, making the strait a crucial link in one of the world’s busiest trade routes.

The consequences of disruption are already familiar to the shipping industry. Previous Houthi attacks prompted many shipping companies to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of nautical miles, transit time and fuel costs to voyages between Asia and Europe.

The strait is also important for regional energy exports. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline allows crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz by transporting oil to Red Sea ports.

Tankers departing those ports for markets west of the Red Sea, however, still need to navigate Bab el-Mandeb.

A prolonged closure or sustained threat to the strait could therefore constrain alternative export routes at a time when shipping and energy markets are already facing disruption.