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Port calls in the Red Sea have plummeted 85% since the onset of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, while Suez Canal traffic has dropped by around 66% over the same period, research has found. 

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group have now carried out more than 85 attempted attacks on tankers, bulk carriers and container ships since November last year, predominantly via missile strikes, data from Lloyd’s List shows.  

Shipping companies have largely opted to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf Aden as a result, including by taking a longer route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. 

The disruption has had a major impact on trade flows in the Middle East, including by denting Egypt’s Suez Canal transit revenues by as much as 50% in the early months of the conflict. 

Research by Sea-Intelligence, a Denmark-headquartered analysis and advisory services provider, finds that the number of deep-sea port calls in the Red Sea has fallen from an average of over 200 per month last year to fewer than 40 in the first six months of this year. 

That figure rose to 60 in July, although chief executive Alan Murphy says it “remains to be seen if this will continue, or if this is a temporary uptick”. 

The Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdullah Port, both in Saudi Arabia, have been worst affected. Jeddah is currently averaging 37 port calls per month, down from 135 before the crisis, Sea-Intelligence says. 

Port calls in the Gulf of Aden and eastern Mediterranean remain around a third lower than before the crisis, it adds. 

Shipping giant Maersk – which says it will only return to sailing via the Red Sea when safety of vessels can be guaranteed – says in a September 5 advisory that the impact of the conflict on maritime shipping and supply chains “continues to intensify”. 

“With ships diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, we’re seeing significant increases in transit times and operational costs,” Maersk says. 

“These disruptions have led to service reconfigurations and volume shifts, straining infrastructure and resulting in port congestion, delays, and shortages in capacity and equipment.” 

The number of vessels crossing the Suez Canal is believed to have dropped by two-thirds since the onset of Houthi attacks, it says. 

“The timeline for easing these disruptions and returning to ‘normal’ remains uncertain,” Maersk adds. “This crisis underscores the critical need for businesses to bolster supply chain resilience and for carriers to reassess their risk mitigation strategies.” 

The Houthis say they are retaliating against Israel’s war with Hamas, with leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi saying this week the group had “entered the fifth stage of escalation against the occupation in support of Gaza and its resistance”. 

The attacks have drawn international condemnation and military responses from western governments, with Saudi Arabia this week calling for increased efforts to cut supply of weapons to the group.