GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Aug 16, 2026

Bab el-Mandeb

When a carrier announces that an Asia–Europe service will return to the Suez routing, its vessels inevitably transit Bab el-Mandeb as well.

Quick Answer

Last updated: 16 August 2026

Source: Frachtportal-News «Cosco öffnet Rotes Meer wieder – Maersk und Hapag-Lloyd bauen Suez-Dienste aus» (12.08.2026); Reuters

Category

Check transit time: city-to-city index

Reading time

1 min

Words

138

Mentioned in

–

Definition & Explanation

When a carrier announces that an Asia–Europe service will return to the Suez routing, its vessels inevitably transit Bab el-Mandeb as well. The strait lies between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the Horn of Africa, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. At its narrowest point it measures only around 30 kilometres, which makes it a textbook chokepoint of world trade: every ship using the short Asia–Europe route via Suez must pass through it. Since attacks on merchant shipping began in late 2023 the area has been treated as a risk zone, triggering war risk surcharges, higher insurance premiums and diversions around the Cape of Good Hope. It should not be confused with the Suez Canal, the artificial waterway at the northern end of the Red Sea.