Bab al-Mandab Shipping Traffic Rises to 34 Daily Transits
Commercial shipping traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait climbed to a daily average of 34 transits between November 1 and 4, 2026, despite persistent regional volatility. Maritime transport operators and logistics firms navigated an uptick in movement from the previous week’s average of 28 daily transits, even as security pressures escalated near the Strait of Hormuz.
Data released by the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) in its Update 111 Advisory Note, distributed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), showed daily movements of 38, 37, 35, and 26 vessels across the four-day reporting window. While the figures signal a modest operational recovery, volume remains below levels recorded prior to the Houthi selective embargo enacted on July 20.
The waterway remains open to commercial traffic, and Houthi statements maintain that non-Saudi commercial vessels can pass safely. Still, the JMIC cautioned that the sector operates in a volatile environment requiring constant voyage risk assessments. The advisory noted a single suspicious-activity incident in the southern Red Sea, cataloged as MSCIO 168/26, though no confirmed attacks against merchant vessels were reported during the period.
In adjacent waters, the threat profile shifted as piracy concerns in the Somali Basin eased. The fishing vessel *AZINI*, which armed pirates seized off northeastern Somalia on October 29, was reported liberated on November 2. However, one merchant vessel remains under pirate control: the Tanzanian-flagged product and chemical tanker MT *ASANA*, captured on July 17 approximately 65 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla, Yemen.
Other regional corridors, including the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Northern Red Sea, and the Suez Canal, reported no confirmed attacks or significant operational disruptions, keeping the Eastern Mediterranean at its established security baseline.
