Houthis reach Bab el-Mandeb after seizing Mocha port

Houthi forces have reached the Yemeni town of Dhubab, directly on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following their seizure of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha.

Two Yemeni government sources confirmed the advance to Dhubab on 11 September, according to Reuters. The development brings Houthi forces to a strategically important position overlooking one of the world’s most critical shipping chokepoints.

The latest advance follows the Houthis’ capture of Mocha on 10 September as the group pushed south along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Houthi advance increases pressure on key shipping route

Dhubab sits directly on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and opposite the Yemeni island of Perim, also known as Mayyun.

The strait, which is only around 29 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is also the southern gateway for vessels using the Suez Canal.

Control of Dhubab and Perim is considered strategically important for influence over the waterway. However, the latest developments do not mean that the Houthis control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The United Kingdom warned that the Houthi advance towards Bab el-Mandeb would increase risks to international shipping.

“The Houthis’ advance towards the Bab al-Mandeb will only heighten risks to international shipping, maritime security, and global trade through this critical waterway,” the UK said in a statement to the UN Security Council on 10 September.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office separately warned that recent Houthi actions threaten freedom of navigation and vital trade routes through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.

Mocha capture strengthens Houthi position

The capture of Mocha represents a significant expansion of the territory held by the Houthis along Yemen’s western coastline.

Reuters reported that the offensive brought the group further south from areas it already controls around Hodeidah and closer to the Bab el-Mandeb.

The development is particularly significant for container shipping because the Bab el-Mandeb forms part of the main Asia-Europe route through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Previous Houthi attacks on commercial vessels led major container carriers to divert ships around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing voyage distances, transit times and operating costs.

Despite the latest military developments, commercial traffic through Bab el-Mandeb has not stopped. Ship-tracking data cited by Reuters showed that 26 commodity vessels transited the strait on 10 September, broadly in line with the recent 10-day average of around 27.

The military advance nevertheless creates another source of uncertainty for shipping at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is already severely restricted.

Vessel transits through Hormuz fell to seven on 10 September, compared with a 10-day average of 15, according to preliminary Kpler data cited by Reuters.

The simultaneous pressure around the two waterways increases concerns over maritime trade across the wider Middle East, with Bab el-Mandeb providing access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal while Hormuz remains a critical gateway for Gulf energy and commercial shipping.

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