Strait of Hormuz traffic falls to new low as Iran-backed group kills 6 in Red Sea

The number of vessels tracked transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight, according to data reported by the Reuters news agency, as the ongoing conflict and stalemate kept shipping companies away from the vital waterway.

Tuesday’s tally of eight vessels fell below a 10-day average of about 12, for the lowest daily count since August 5, according to Kpler data reported by Reuters.

Around 130 ships a day passed through the vital waterway before the war started on February 28.

The alleged Houthi strikes that left at least six people dead aboard a cargo vessel off Yemen are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping in the region, since the latest bout of fighting in the country began. 

The deadly incident in the Bab el-Mandeb strait came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country, which killed dozens of government troops and civilians since last week, according to the Yemeni military.

The strikes are part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.

He said the Houthis are open for negotiations but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.

An American military helicopter struck a Panama-flagged vessel after it tried to bypass the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command said.

It was unclear if there were casualties from the attack after a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room, according to CENTCOM. The ship’s civilian crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings from U.S. forces as they attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman. 

“The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade, which remains in full effect,” CENTCOM said.

As of Tuesday, CENTCOM said it has disabled three non-compliant vessels, boarded two and redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the U.S. blockade.