Houthi rebels operating from Yemen are threatening to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to the Gulf of Aden.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is an 18-mile-wide waterway that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The strait, which can be used to control shipping to Egypt’s Suez Canal, is as important as the Strait of Hormuz for global oil and gas transportation.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is the second-most important oil shipping route in the Gulf. The Houthi rebels say they are closing the waterway, knowing that blocking it could have a major impact on the global economy.
The closure of both the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb would spread the Gulf crisis beyond the region, potentially disrupting supply chains and destabilizing energy markets. It would also have a significant impact on shipping costs worldwide.
A significant portion of global commercial trade, including 10% of global sea lanes, a fifth of the world’s container traffic and 10% of car shipments and crude oil, passes through the Red Sea.