Vulnerabilities in West Asia’s Maritime Chokepoints: Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, and the Suez Canal

Maritime chokepoints are crucial to global energy security. In West Asia, Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, and the Suez Canal together anchor a tightly interconnected energy transit system linking supply centres to global markets. These critical chokepoints ensure steady outward flows of oil and LNG from Gulf producers and inward flows of refined products, equipment, and essential energy inputs. Recent disruptions – from tensions in Hormuz to insecurity in the Red Sea and Suez – demonstrate how vulnerabilities can trigger cascading shocks across energy supply chains and global commodity markets. These chokepoints are not merely transit routes, but strategic pressure points where geopolitical conflict, security risks, and logistical constraints converge. This panel will examine how such risks are reshaping energy flows, pricing dynamics, and supply chain resilience in an inter-dependent and increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.