Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab shipping security

Distinct from the Strait of Hormuz contest (in iran_theater), Bab al-Mandab is a Yemen-side chokepoint moving roughly 12% of global trade. Western shipping desks and Israeli outlets converge on freedom-of-navigation framing; resistance outlets defend Houthi targeting as Gaza pressure. The double-blockade motif (Hormuz + Bab al-Mandab) is a recurring 2026 theme in Asian shipping coverage.

Competing narratives:2

Events:675

Attributed headlines:782

Competing narratives

Each card below is one coalition with its own frame on the same contested phenomenon.

Freedom of navigation must be defended

571titles

Naval pressure is legitimate Gaza solidarity

211titles

Narrative distribution over time

Weekly attributed-headline count per narrative. Visual asymmetry is signal: some coalitions dominate the vocabulary, others stay sporadic.

Freedom of navigation must be defended(571)Naval pressure is legitimate Gaza solidarity(211)

Narratives in detail

Loaded vocabulary per coalition and recent headlines under each frame.

Freedom of navigation must be defended

571 titles

Coalition

United States

United Kingdom

European Union

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Events per week

Per-week distribution of events on this friction node. Click a bar to see that week's top events.

Click a week bar to select. Light blue = active week.

Week of May 11, 2026(9)

Oil Tankers Go Dark to Exit the Strait of Hormuz - Crude Oil Prices Today

4 sourcesMay 11, 2026

Vietnam state oil company urges US Navy to allow tanker through Hormuz

3 sourcesMay 12, 2026

UAE condemns hijacking of oil tanker carrying Egyptian sailors off Yemen

2 sourcesMay 12, 2026

Seoul Confirms Strike on Vessel in Hormuz Before Pentagon Talks

2 sourcesMay 11, 2026

Suez Canal Budget Set at $482 Billion for 2026/2027

1 sourcesMay 13, 2026

Iran-linked LPG tanker crosses US Navy blockade

1 sourcesMay 13, 2026

Iran demands unfreezing of assets, vessel safety in Strait of Hormuz from US — MFA

1 sourcesMay 11, 2026

Egypt confirms oil tanker hijacked off Yemen’s coast, taken to Somalia - Anadolu Ajansı

1 sourcesMay 11, 2026

US says 62 commercial vessels redirected under naval blockade of Iran - Anadolu Ajansı

1 sourcesMay 11, 2026

Other conflicts in this zone

Other specific conflicts under the same umbrella conflict zone.

Title-to-narrative attribution currently uses publisher-stance bucketing plus FN topic match. Pipeline integration not yet active.