Daily transits (7-day average)
27 transits a day
Estimated cargo capacity (7-day average)
1.1 million tonnes a day
Against the 28-day average
3.8%
Rank by daily transits
18th
What the data say · 27 September 2026
An average of 27 ships a day crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the week ending 27 September 2026, 17.4% less than in the same week of 2025. That is 3.8% more than the average of the previous 28 days.
The estimated cargo capacity of those ships was 1.1 million tonnes a day. The count covers cargo ships and tankers; it does not include ferries, fishing vessels or small craft.
It ranks 18th by daily transits among the 28 maritime chokepoints tracked by PortWatch; the first is Taiwan Strait, with 232 ships a day.
This is IMF PortWatch’s satellite estimate, based on AIS signals and with a lag of only a few days, not the passage’s official statistic: it shows the trend in near real time.
The highest point in the series was November 2025, at 38, and the lowest September 2026, at 26; the daily average over the last twelve months is 4.3% more than over the previous twelve.
Top 10 · Maritime chokepoints by daily transits (7-day average)
Daily transits through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, monthly average
Full table · 28 maritime chokepoints
| # | Maritime chokepoints | Transits/day (7-day avg) | YoY change | Est. capacity (t/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan Strait | 232 | +5.6% | 6.41 M |
| 2 | Strait of Malacca | 218 | −7.4% | 8.14 M |
| 3 | Korea Strait | 209 | −7.9% | 3.34 M |
| 4 | Strait of Dover | 172 | −5.6% | 3.29 M |
| 5 | Bohai Strait | 157 | −11.6% | 5.47 M |
| 6 | Strait of Gibraltar | 133 | −4.2% | 3.4 M |
| 7 | Cape of Good Hope | 88 | −3.0% | 5.56 M |
| 8 | Luzon Strait | 87 | +8.9% | 5.47 M |
| 9 | Makassar Strait | 56 | +24.8% | 3.31 M |
| 10 | Mindoro Strait | 52 | +66.8% | 3.08 M |
| 11 | Tsugaru Strait | 51 | −7.0% | 1.27 M |
| 12 | Bosphorus | 50 | −45.4% | 554,422 |
| 13 | Yucatán Channel | 49 | −2.5% | 1.29 M |
| 14 | Suez Canal | 40 | −5.4% | 1.53 M |
| 15 | Lombok Strait | 36 | +5.0% | 2.57 M |
| 16 | Øresund | 35 | −24.3% | 123,057 |
| 17 | Sunda Strait | 34 | +4.4% | 1.31 M |
| 18 | Bab el-Mandeb | 27 | −17.4% | 1.1 M |
| 19 | Panama Canal | 27 | −14.9% | 787,348 |
| 20 | Windward Passage | 14 | −21.8% | 227,799 |
| 21 | Mona Passage | 13 | +34.8% | 441,143 |
| 22 | Ombai Strait | 12 | −1.2% | 1.4 M |
| 23 | Torres Strait | 9 | −3.0% | 173,447 |
| 24 | Balabac Strait | 9 | −16.2% | 207,044 |
| 25 | Strait of Magellan | 5 | +31.0% | 203,640 |
| 26 | Bering Strait | 4 | 0.0% | 64,082 |
| 27 | Strait of Hormuz | 3 | −95.5% | 52,376 |
| 28 | Kerch Strait | 0 | −100.0% | 0 |
What this indicator measures
Every day, IMF PortWatch uses AIS signals to count the cargo ships and tankers that pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and estimates the cargo capacity they carry. It is not the official statistic of the passage’s authority but a satellite-based estimate with a lag of only a few days. This page shows the seven-day average, its comparison with the same week a year earlier and the month-by-month trend.
Context
Bab el-Mandeb is the southern gate of the Red Sea, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, and the unavoidable passage for ships heading to or from the Suez Canal. Its traffic moves in step with the canal’s: when insecurity in the area diverts ships via the Cape of Good Hope, transits fall in both at once.
Frequently asked questions
How many ships pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait each day?
27 transits a day in the week ending 27 September 2026, 17.4% less than in the same week of the previous year.
Where does it rank among the world’s maritime chokepoints?
It ranks 18th by daily transits among the 28 maritime chokepoints tracked by PortWatch; the first is Taiwan Strait, with 232 ships a day.
When is this data updated?
IMF PortWatch publishes the data daily. Latest data available: 27 September 2026.
Source
IMF PortWatch. To explore the data in detail, use Maritime Radar · chokepoints or see the original source.