Bab el-Mandeb
Yemen / Djibouti
100
Risk Score
~60 vessels/day
9% of global trade
Crude Oil, LNG, Containers
Strategic Overview
Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It is a critical chokepoint for Suez Canal traffic and Red Sea commerce.
Threat Drivers
Recent Incidents (9)
15.06.2026: 1350 UTC: Posn: 12:24.13N – 046:46.55E, Gulf of Aden. Seeing an approaching skiff, a tanker underway commenced evasive manoeuvres. As the skiff an RPG was fired towards the vessel which missed. The onboard armed security team returned fire resulting in the pirates aborting the approach and moving away.
Missile/drone strike reported in the Red Sea region.
Armed boarding or piracy incident reported in the Red Sea region.
Vessel hijacking reported in the Gulf of Aden region.
Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Tanker Hijacked in Gulf of Aden and Diverted Toward Somalia. A U.S.-sanctioned product tanker has been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and redirected toward Somalia after six armed men boarded and seized control of the vessel, marking the second...
Suspicious approach reported in the Gulf of Aden region.
Navigation warning issued in the Red Sea region.
Cargo Ship Destroyed in New Attack Off Yemen. A cargo ship has been declared a constructive total loss after being struck by multiple unknown projectiles off Yemen, marking another attack in an increasingly volatile southern Red Sea. UK...
Asian Refiners Ask to Pick Up Saudi Oil Outside Risky Red Sea. Some Asian refiners are pushing back against Saudi Aramco’s request that they pick up their oil at Yanbu on the Red Sea, due to the difficulty of finding ships willing to sail through the dangerous waterway.