NYN | Roberts and Analyses 

After Washington exerted intense pressure on international shipping companies to avoid crossing the Red Sea, a vital waterway, due to attacks by Sana’a on Israeli ships in support of Gaza, the Bab al-Mandab Strait witnessed a noticeable resurgence in shipping activity at the beginning of the second week of Israel’s cessation of its aggression against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The pace of maritime activity returned to its elevated levels.

According to international maritime reports, there was a significant increase in the number of ships passing through the strait, with 15 vessels crossing for the first time in their history. Additionally, 16 ships that had previously altered their course towards the Cape of Good Hope have now returned. These data were collected through ship tracking systems from Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

The reports indicated that many global shipping companies contacted the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) to ensure that their vessels were not included on the list of potential targets, as they had no ties to Israel.

Furthermore, the data showed that around 22 ships, including 200 vessels with a total load of 14 million tons, returned to using the Suez Canal after a temporary halt.

These developments reflect a significant improvement in maritime traffic near the Yemeni coast, which had previously been affected by U.S. pressures on companies to avoid passing through, in addition to the restrictions imposed by Sana’a on ships heading to Israel, which had committed horrific crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.