**Ongoing Houthi attacks and elevated war-risk premiums continue to constrain traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea chokepoint linking Asia-Europe routes via the Suez Canal.** A ballistic missile strike on the container ship Tihamah on August 11–12 killed six people—the first commercial shipping fatalities in the corridor in over a year—prompting carriers to maintain strict individual risk assessments despite some cautious resumption of Suez sailings by MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and Cosco. Recent weekly AIS-tracked transits illustrate the pressure: 200 vessels for 3–9 August (lowest in 12 months, down from 226 the prior week) and earlier periods around 226–266, well below pre-crisis norms of roughly 450–500. Daily figures have fluctuated, with a spike to 46 crossings on August 18 amid partial recovery signals, yet tanker flows remain sparse and many operators reroute via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid premiums exceeding 1% of vessel value (up to 3% for certain Saudi-linked voyages). Market-implied odds place the highest probability (35%) on 220+, consistent with modest week-on-week gains if carriers sustain incremental increases. However, the combined 46% probability on ranges below 200 reflects persistent uncertainty from renewed threats, insurance repricing, and selective avoidance (particularly for Saudi-linked or non-exempt vessels), with lower buckets capturing downside risks from further incidents or broader rerouting. Chinese-linked tankers have secured some clearances, but overall sentiment embeds caution around resolution timing and potential last-minute disruptions in the week of August 24.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · UpdatedHow many ships transit Bab el-Mandeb Strait week of August 24?
220+ 35%
<160 19%
160-179 19%
200-219 18%
$13,076 Vol.
$13,076 Vol.
<160
19%
160-179
19%
180-199
14%
200-219
18%
220+
35%
220+ 35%
<160 19%
160-179 19%
200-219 18%
$13,076 Vol.
$13,076 Vol.
<160
19%
160-179
19%
180-199
14%
200-219
18%
220+
35%
Transit calls include container, dry bulk, roll-on/roll-off, general cargo, and tanker ships. Ships not reported by IMF Portwatch will not be considered.
This market will resolve as soon as all relevant data has been published. If the relevant data is not published within 14 calendar days of the specified date, this market will resolve based on the most recent data published up to that point.
In case of obvious data integrity issues (i.e., erroneous data), the market may remain open until the end of the third calendar day (ET) after the date on which such data is first released to allow for corrections. Data integrity issues refer only to clerical or other similar errors in the underlying data, and do not include cases where IMF Portwatch differs from alternative sources.
Only revisions to previously published data points made before all relevant data has been published will be considered.
The resolution source for this market will be IMF PortWatch, specifically the “Arrivals of Ships” data published for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at https://portwatch.imf.org/pages/6b1814d64903461b98144a6cc25eb79c.
Market Opened: Aug 21, 2026, 3:08 PM ET
Resolver
0x69c47De9D...Transit calls include container, dry bulk, roll-on/roll-off, general cargo, and tanker ships. Ships not reported by IMF Portwatch will not be considered.
This market will resolve as soon as all relevant data has been published. If the relevant data is not published within 14 calendar days of the specified date, this market will resolve based on the most recent data published up to that point.
In case of obvious data integrity issues (i.e., erroneous data), the market may remain open until the end of the third calendar day (ET) after the date on which such data is first released to allow for corrections. Data integrity issues refer only to clerical or other similar errors in the underlying data, and do not include cases where IMF Portwatch differs from alternative sources.
Only revisions to previously published data points made before all relevant data has been published will be considered.
The resolution source for this market will be IMF PortWatch, specifically the “Arrivals of Ships” data published for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at https://portwatch.imf.org/pages/6b1814d64903461b98144a6cc25eb79c.
Resolver
0x69c47De9D...**Ongoing Houthi attacks and elevated war-risk premiums continue to constrain traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea chokepoint linking Asia-Europe routes via the Suez Canal.** A ballistic missile strike on the container ship Tihamah on August 11–12 killed six people—the first commercial shipping fatalities in the corridor in over a year—prompting carriers to maintain strict individual risk assessments despite some cautious resumption of Suez sailings by MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and Cosco. Recent weekly AIS-tracked transits illustrate the pressure: 200 vessels for 3–9 August (lowest in 12 months, down from 226 the prior week) and earlier periods around 226–266, well below pre-crisis norms of roughly 450–500. Daily figures have fluctuated, with a spike to 46 crossings on August 18 amid partial recovery signals, yet tanker flows remain sparse and many operators reroute via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid premiums exceeding 1% of vessel value (up to 3% for certain Saudi-linked voyages). Market-implied odds place the highest probability (35%) on 220+, consistent with modest week-on-week gains if carriers sustain incremental increases. However, the combined 46% probability on ranges below 200 reflects persistent uncertainty from renewed threats, insurance repricing, and selective avoidance (particularly for Saudi-linked or non-exempt vessels), with lower buckets capturing downside risks from further incidents or broader rerouting. Chinese-linked tankers have secured some clearances, but overall sentiment embeds caution around resolution timing and potential last-minute disruptions in the week of August 24.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · Updated

Beware of external links.
Beware of external links.
Frequently Asked Questions