Shipping in Red Sea remains stable, head of Houthi-controlled corporation says

RABAT, September 14. /TASS/. Shipping in the Red Sea, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, remains stable, with traffic virtually unchanged after armed clashes in southwestern Yemen, Red Sea Ports Corporation Board Chairman Zayed al-Washli said.

"Shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remains stable and is operating normally," al-Washli said, according to Houthi-affiliated Saba. The Mocha port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast is preparing "to resume maritime and commercial operations after its infrastructure has been restored." The corporation "is beginning to implement initial measures for the phased resumption of the port’s normal operations and its role in transportation and trade." The corporation operates under structures established by the rebel Yemeni movement Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, in Sanaa.

About 85 vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the past 72 hours, al-Washli said, adding that this was almost 96% of the normal traffic level.

The situation in Yemen escalated sharply in early September when the rebel movement launched an offensive in the country’s southwest. At the same time, it began carrying out missile and drone strikes on Red Sea coastal areas and the outskirts of the city of Taiz, seeking to sever access routes to the port of Mocha and advance toward areas along the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

On September 11, the Houthi military spokesperson announced that Ansar Allah units had begun an operation on Yemen’s west coast to push back Saudi forces. According to him, the operation was due to "attacks on civilians, villages and areas on the west coast by Saudi-backed forces, which have been going on for several years." Ansar Allah Political Bureau member Hizam al-Asad confirmed to TASS on September 12 that the Houthis had concluded an operation to take control of areas in western Yemen adjacent to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.