Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea divert traffic around Africa

Started

2023-11-19 (19 November 2023)

Ended

Not ended

Status

ongoing

Type

Security incident

Severity

5 Critical

Scope

global

Chokepoints

Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Suez Canal, Cape of Good Hope

Ports

None

Lanes

Asia to North Europe, Asia to Mediterranean

Countries

Yemen, Egypt, South Africa

Confidence

medium: The start date and the attribution of the seizure are confirmed by a United Kingdom government statement and the diversions by Maersk's own advisories, but the status in September 2026 rests on press reporting rather than a dated official announcement.

First reported

2023-11-21 (21 November 2023)

• Severity basis: A disruption documented by official sources across more than one region at once; governments and carriers have recorded attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the rerouting of services around the Cape of Good Hope since 2023.

1. 2023-11-19The vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader is boarded from a helicopter and taken to the Yemeni coast near Hodeidah with its crew aboard. [s3]
2. 2023-11-21The United Kingdom government condemns what it calls the unlawful seizure of the ship by the Houthis and demands the release of vessel and crew. [s1]
3. 2023-12-15Maersk instructs all of its vessels bound for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to pause, citing a near miss involving one of its ships the day before and a further attack on a container ship. [s2]
4. 2023-12-19Maersk says the paused ships will instead sail around Africa by way of the Cape of Good Hope. [s2]
5. 2024-01-02After an attack on one of its ships, Maersk pauses all transits through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until further notice and diverts them around the Cape. [s2]
6. 2026-03-02After a pause in attacks from about November 2025, officials of the group are reported as saying they will resume attacks on merchant ships, and Maersk again moves selected services to the Cape route. [s4]
7. 2026-09-13Reporting from the region describes Houthi control of the Yemeni Red Sea coast and says operators are still routing around the Cape rather than through the strait. [s5]

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

1. [s1] Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by the Houthis: UK statement, published 2023-11-21 (21 November 2023), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
2. [s2] Maersk, Maersk Operations through Red Sea / Gulf of Aden, published 2023-12-15 (15 December 2023), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
3. [s3] The Maritime Executive, Galaxy Leader's Crewmembers Mark One Year in Houthi Captivity, published 2024-11-17 (17 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
4. [s4] gCaptain, Red Sea Corridor Slips Back Into Crisis as Houthi Threats Resurface, published 2026-03-02 (2 March 2026), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
5. [s5] Al Jazeera, Red Sea nations watch as Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb strait, published 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)