Strait of Hormuz traffic falls to 6 confirmed crossings while Bab el-Mandeb records 49

According to vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic published on Friday, 24 July 2026, the number of confirmed crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just six, a 60 percent drop from the previous day.

The data show that five of those six vessels followed the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, an indication of how the remaining traffic is concentrated on that route. Over the same period the Bab el-Mandeb strait recorded 49 confirmed crossings, among them 5 sanctioned vessels, 11 shadow fleet vessels and 4 dark transits made without a transmitted signal.

This uneven picture carries a clear economic meaning. Hormuz is the chokepoint for the Persian Gulf's oil and liquefied gas exports, and any sharp fall in transits keeps the risk premium in global oil prices, insurance costs and freight rates elevated. Continued activity through Bab el-Mandeb shows that part of the trade flow has shifted to the Red Sea route, itself made riskier by the naval blockade declared by Yemen's Houthis.