The fallout from regional tensions is spreading across Yemen’s economy, as shipping through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted in a country that relies almost entirely on imports for food and other basic needs.
Recent shipping data show a sharp decline in the number of vessels arriving at Aden port, the largest port under the internationally recognized government, falling from 41 ships in January 2026 to 25 in March, before dropping to just two ships at the start of this month, according to shipping-tracking data.
The decline offers a clear picture of supply-chain disruption, with shipping and insurance costs rising and beginning to feed gradually into prices in local markets.
Disrupted supply chains
According to a report by “Al-Araby Al-Jadeed“, Aden Chamber of Commerce and Industry head Abubakr Baabid says the crisis is no longer limited to delayed shipments, but has spread to the diversion of goods, which are being unloaded at alternative ports such as Jeddah, Dubai, Djibouti and Salalah instead of reaching Aden.
He adds that traders are being forced to collect their goods from those ports at their own expense, with sharp differences in transport and insurance costs, creating pricing chaos and adding pressure on the market.
That leaves traders with few options: absorb the extra costs or risk losing their goods in a market that can barely withstand any further increase.
The citizen at the heart of the crisis
In a country already suffering from declining purchasing power, these costs are quickly passed on to consumers.
With no local production to meet demand, any external disruption becomes a direct burden on people’s daily lives.
Economists say Yemen’s total dependence on imports makes it highly vulnerable to any disruption in maritime routes, especially as commodity stocks are concentrated in the hands of traders, far from any effective state control.
Measures under test
On the other hand, the legitimate government has announced the formation of a committee to manage economic and humanitarian crises, while stressing that basic goods continue to flow and that the supply situation remains stable.
The Central Bank in Aden also raised the minimum interest rate on deposits in Yemeni rials to 18 percent in an effort to support the currency and contain monetary pressures.
But the impact of these measures remains limited in the face of a crisis that begins with shipping security and does not stop at shipping costs.
As maritime routes remain disrupted, Yemen’s economy faces a heavy test, between nearly empty ports, goods stranded outside the country, and costs that continue to rise day after day, while ordinary citizens are left to bear the full burden with no way to ease it.
