Marine traffic through the Red Sea has increased by 60% to about 36–37 ships per day since August 2024, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, commander of the EU’s Aspides naval mission, told Reuters.
This rise follows a sharp decline in vessel movements due to Houthi attacks, which began in November 2023 in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. At the height of the crisis, daily traffic had dropped to just 20–23 ships, far below the pre-conflict average of 72–75 ships per day.
According to Reurers, Gryparis attributed the recent recovery in shipping activity to a reduction in missile and drone attacks, along with a ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the United States. However, he emphasized that volumes remain below normal, and some shipping companies remain wary of using the route due to limited naval escort capacity.
Gryparis also told Reuters that the Houthis have since narrowed their targeting criteria, now focusing only on vessels with Israeli ties or those that have docked in Israeli ports. While he estimated a more than 99% chance of safe passage for ships without such connections, he warned that the risk of attacks cannot be fully eliminated.
