After Hormuz, a New Choke Point Threatens World Shipping
19th March 2026
Some 1,200 miles from the Strait of Hormuz across the Arabian Peninsula, sits another of the world’s most vulnerable shipping choke points.
Just like the now-paralysed entrance to the Gulf, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait channels a crowded maritime trade artery through a narrow gap.
This strait connecting the Suez Canal and Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean is even narrower, at just 20 miles across, but is a vital gateway between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.