SANAA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said Wednesday that more than 400 commercial vessels had crossed the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait between Sept. 11 and Sept. 21, as fighting continued near the key waterway.
In a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group said 408 commercial vessels transited the strait over this period, with 196 heading north toward the Red Sea and 212 south toward the Gulf of Aden.
It said daily traffic averaged more than 40 commercial vessels, including container ships, and claimed that international shipping was proceeding normally and safely, except for Saudi vessels, which it said are subject to a maritime ban.
The group added that the latest figure exceeded the 393 commercial vessels recorded between Sept. 1 and Sept. 10, when 199 traveled north and 194 south.
The numbers could not be independently verified. Separate ship-tracking data have shown fluctuations in traffic through Bab al-Mandab since the latest escalation, including periods of sharply reduced daily crossings.
The statement comes amid heightened international attention on the waterway following the Houthis' rapid territorial gains along Yemen's southwestern Red Sea coast. Houthi forces seized the strategic port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 and Mayyun Island in the heart of the strait the following day.
Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and forms part of a major maritime corridor linking Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal, making developments around the strait closely watched by global shipping.
Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Renewed fighting in recent weeks has again brought the conflict closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. ■
