Trade Route Risk Index

Vessel-tracking data shows transits through the Bab el-Mandeb strait holding up surprisingly well in the first two weeks of the Houthi blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping, although tanker movements have fallen sharply and security analysts caution that attacks could escalate as the UN warns Yemen may slide back into war.

An empty LPG supertanker paid a record 4.6 million dollars at auction to jump the growing transit queue at the Panama Canal, as the Iran war and an intensifying El Nino combine to squeeze capacity across the world's main trade routes.

Saudi Arabia has launched a 13-nation maritime coalition intended to protect Red Sea shipping lanes from Houthi attacks, and analysts are weighing whether the new alliance can actually restore confidence on the vital trade route.