Yemen / Djibouti · Red Sea ↔ Gulf of Aden
Bab el-Mandeb Strait — Ship Transits Today
Daily vessel transits through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, by ship type, compared with the same week last year. Updated daily.
Daily transits, last 90 days
By vessel type
Ships/day, 7-day average| Type | Ships/day |
|---|---|
| Container ships | 7.3 |
| Tankers | 9.6 |
| Dry bulk | 7.3 |
| General cargo | 3.4 |
| Ro-ro | 1.3 |
Cargo-carrying capacity transiting (deadweight) is -35% against the same week last year.
About the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Bab el-Mandeb is the southern gate of the Red Sea. Everything that transits Suez to or from Asia, East Africa and the Gulf also passes here.
Traffic here moves with Suez: when Red Sea risk rises, carriers divert around the Cape and both chokepoints drop together.
Source: IMF PortWatch daily chokepoint transits, built from satellite AIS by the IMF and the University of Oxford.
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait? Track your container or vessel free with Shyppy — live position, ETA changes and rollover alerts. Compare routings with the sea distance calculator, or see all chokepoints.
Questions
How many ships pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait per day?
In the 7 days to 25 October 2026, an average of 28.9 vessels a day transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, compared with 37.4 a day in the same week last year (-23%).
Is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait open?
Yes — ships were transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the latest data (25 October 2026). Traffic is currently below normal compared with last year.
What disrupts traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
Traffic here moves with Suez: when Red Sea risk rises, carriers divert around the Cape and both chokepoints drop together.
Where does this data come from?
IMF PortWatch, which counts vessel crossings from satellite AIS. Shyppy refreshes it daily and compares the 7-day average with the same week a year earlier.
Other chokepoints: Suez Canal · Panama Canal · Bosporus Strait · Malacca Strait · Strait of Hormuz · Cape of Good Hope · Strait of Gibraltar · Dover Strait · Øresund Strait · Taiwan Strait · Korea Strait · Tsugaru Strait · Luzon Strait · Lombok Strait · Ombai Strait · Bohai Strait · Torres Strait · Sunda Strait · Makassar Strait · Strait of Magellan · Yucatán Channel · Windward Passage · Mona Passage · Balabac Strait · Bering Strait · Mindoro Strait · Kerch Strait