Map from MarineTraffic of shipping routes through Red Sea on Match 21, 2025 with rough boundaries of area of operations of Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis.

Throughout 2024 the Houthis forced ships to divert around Africa. Journeys from Asia have lengthened by 3,000-3,500 nautical miles (6,000km), or 10-14 days.

Ship traffic through the Red Sea is down by around three-fifths since 2023 when the Houthis started targeting ships there in solidarity with Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza, Mr. Meade said.