The first LNG carrier in five months passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
The LNG vessel Salalah made its passage through the strait on 8 February, according to the reports. The Omani-owned vessel had departed from the Qalhat LNG Terminal in Oman on 5 February.
Following the Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement, the Houthis declared that only vessels owned or flagged by Israel would be banned from transiting the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb, Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Gulf.
As the Houthi threat appears to lessen, the passage of the Salalah LNG vessel marks the first non-sanctioned LNG carrier to transit the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This follows the first transit of the oil tanker CHRYSALIS since it was attacked in the Red Sea region in July 2024.
Moreover, Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director, Suez Canal Authority (SCA), in a meeting with several shipping entities on 30 January, pointed out that the current situation in the Red Sea region is witnessing positive indicators that show stability returning to the region.
Adm. Rabiee also sent a message of reassurance to the maritime community that the circumstances are ripe for the return of maritime navigation in the Red Sea region once again.
