72 ships crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait during the past two days, reports Al Masirah citing sources; 145 ships transmitted Bab Al-Mandab strait over past four days

Transit counts through the Bab al-Mandab have been a running proxy for Red Sea disruption since the Houthi campaign against commercial shipping began, and Al Masirah, the movement's affiliated outlet, has been a regular channel for such figures, so the sourcing itself carries a political signal as much as a logistical one. The relevant comparison is against pre-crisis norms, where daily transits ran materially higher than these figures imply, meaning traffic remains depressed even as shipping lines have periodically tested returns during lulls in attacks. In past episodes of this kind the sequence has been consistent: transit numbers recover first in the data, then war-risk insurance premiums and freight rates follow with a lag, while the container and tanker segments have behaved differently, with container lines slower to resume Suez routings than bulk and tanker tonnage. Worth noting that volumes alone do not distinguish vessel type or flag, and composition has mattered, since operators linked to certain states have faced the bulk of targeting risk. The follow-ons that have historically moved the tape are any change in attack tempo, escort operation announcements, and statements from the major carriers on resuming transits, which have been the trigger for repricing freight futures and the Suez-linked revenue names.