United Arab Emirates

Al Manarah Insurance Services

Since October 2023, the Red Sea has become a focal point of heightened geopolitical risk, with sustained disruption to key shipping lanes following a series of attacks linked to Iran and affiliated non‑state actors, including proxy militias.The Red Sea remains a crucial maritime corridor linking Europe and Asia and is vital for both commercial vessels and superyachts transiting between the Mediterranean, the Gulf, and Asia. Instability in the region, alongside a series of attacks on commercial shipping, has led many yachts to avoid the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and reroute around the Cape of Good Hope. The resulting change in routing patterns has pushed up insurance premiums and discouraged cruising activity throughout the area.Since 12 November 2025, the Houthis have announced they have ceased attacks on Red Sea shipping. While the durability of this pause remains uncertain, it has prompted renewed discussion about whether confidence among yacht operators may begin to return and whether the Bab el-Mandeb corridor could eventually regain its role as a viable passage for superyachts moving between regions.SuperYacht Times has analysed vessel-movement data from 2023 onwards to assess whether conditions in the Red Sea were already shifting before this announcement, and how the recent halt in attacks may shape future routing decisions. Although activity remains below pre-crisis levels, the current uptick in transits suggests operators are beginning to reassess the region. The key question now is whether this moment marks the start of a sustained recovery or merely a temporary interruption in a volatile situation.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/378933/image/large-a21d83acdfc052e2ba55022c34618565.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/378933">Patterns of movement across the Gulf and Red SeaTracking how many superyachts operate in the Gulf region and choose to transit the Red Sea corridor helps determine whether confidence in the region is returning. Presence indicates owners remain willing to operate yachts in the region, while corridor movements show whether captains are prepared to cross between cruising grounds opposed to avoiding the area entirely.According to tracking data compiled by SuperYacht Times, approximately 205 superyachts measuring 30 metres and above operated within the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman during 2025, compared with 198 vessels in 2024. This represents a four percent increase year-on-year, although activity remains below 2023 levels, when 216 yachts were recorded in the region.A separate dataset covering the wider basin that includes the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea recorded approximately 265 superyachts active in 2025, a modest increase compared with 2024. Unlike the Gulf figures, which reflect yachts already in the region, this wider dataset also captures vessels operating along the approaches to the Red Sea, offering a broader view of regional cruising behaviour.The most telling metric, however, is the number of yachts using the southern Red Sea corridor itself, the only maritime gateway between the Mediterranean and the Gulf. For the purposes of this analysis, the corridor refers to AIS detections concentrated around Taiz (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman), a chokepoint through which all north–south yacht traffic must pass.Detections through this corridor fell from 34 vessels in 2023 to 17 in 2024, as operators avoided the area, before rising again to 28 in 2025. When measured as a share of the wider regional fleet, transit activity declined from roughly 26 percent in 2023 to 15 percent in 2024, then recovered to 35 percent in 2025. Although still below pre-crisis levels, the upward trajectory indicates that sentiment toward the route is improving, even if full confidence has not yet returned.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/379130/image/large-b215dfee50d655021b58624dc69aaedd.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/379130">Is confidence returning to Red Sea cruising?While recent developments suggest a partial easing of constraints, views among industry stakeholders remain divided on whether the southern Red Sea passage can yet be considered a reliable cruising route.Despite the recent announcement of a halt in attacks on shipping lanes, Jan Maarten Boissevain, commercial director at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/311" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sevenstar Yacht Transport B.V. (Company)">Sevenstar Yacht Transport</a>, says the company’s routing strategy remains unchanged. “All transports to and from the Gulf and Asia are still being rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope,” he explains, adding that this approach has remained in place through 2025 and is likely to carry over into 2026 due to the continued security risks in the Bab el-Mandeb corridor.Captain Ben Flash of the 85.47 metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/64" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Oceanco (Company)">Oceanco</a> superyacht <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/101" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sunrays85.47m (280'5&quot;)Oceanco2010">Sunrays</a> offers a differing perspective. He explains that his usual seasonal pattern had been to cruise along the Saudi Arabian coast in late autumn before continuing to the UAE or crossing the Indian Ocean for the winter. That routine was disrupted when insurance restrictions prevented the yacht from sailing south of Jeddah at the height of the attacks.“As a result, we skipped the Red Sea entirely and remained in the Mediterranean,” he recalls. “Even when we returned the following year, we were only insured as far as Jeddah, so we visited the Red Sea Global development and then left for Europe without continuing further south.”For Captain Flash, that position has since shifted as insurance conditions have eased. “This season, with tensions calming, we are back in the Red Sea and will continue on to the Middle East and spend time in the UAE,” he says. “We now have insurance to pass through the area close to Yemen, which means we can cruise the entire Red Sea coast without restrictions. That has opened up our options again, and we expect to spend more time here.”At marina level, sentiment appears more positive. Oriel Blake of<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6557" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina (Company)">&nbsp;Jeddah Yacht Club</a> says captains and owners are increasingly viewing Jeddah as a practical entry point into the Red Sea. “It’s being seen as a smooth and reliable starting point,” she notes, “from which yachts can continue either towards the Gulf or into the Indian Ocean.”<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/375823/image/large-3123104943c0b33317bf4b4e3ca68af8.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/375823">Blake adds that seasonal patterns have remained consistent, with interest concentrated in the Red Sea’s winter and shoulder months, suggesting that the region is once again being factored into itinerary planning.This improvement on the insurance side is echoed by Lakshmi Ramachandran from <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8656" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Al Manarah Insurance Services (Company)">Al Manarah Insurance</a>, a UAE-based firm active in the superyacht sector, who notes that war-risk cover for Red Sea transits has become more accessible than last year following a gradual reassessment of risk.“Previously, the cost of covering war risk while transiting the Red Sea was higher,” the spokesperson explains. “Those rates have since come down, and insurers are now more willing to offer cover.”However, Ramachandran stresses that this availability remains highly dynamic. Coverage continues to be closely monitored, with terms able to change at short notice should the security situation deteriorate. “If there is an escalation, cover can be withdrawn immediately,” Ramachandran adds. “In some cases, it may still be possible to reinstate cover at additional cost, depending on the client’s willingness to accept the risk.”<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/285492/image/large-944330052540929601baa91458b40886.jpeg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/285492">Maritime security specialist Richard Skinner, BD Director of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8657" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Allmode Limited (Company)">Allmode</a>, adds an important distinction: “I wouldn’t say there’s necessarily an inherent risk to yachts transiting the area. The bigger issue has been access to appropriate insurance cover. That, more than the security environment itself, has been what stopped many yachts from using the route.”Skinner further notes that when coverage becomes uncertain or prohibitively expensive, owners are far more likely to reroute regardless of conditions on the water.The outlook for Gulf region cruisingTaken together, the data and industry insight suggest that cruising activity across the Gulf and Red Sea is entering a period of cautious recalibration rather than a full return to pre-crisis normality. Fleet presence in the Arabian Gulf has remained relatively resilient, while the rise in Red Sea corridor transits during 2025 points to a gradual reassessment of routing decisions that were set aside during the height of regional instability.For large transport providers, however, confidence remains anchored to long-term risk thresholds rather than short-term developments. Boissevain notes that “for the Red Sea to become viable again, we would need sustained and verifiable security improvements, credible international guarantees, and a fundamental shift in insurer risk assessments.” <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/310583/image/large-65d0deec33f7ac5c9b2b3960b2e97556.jpeg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/310583"><a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/7369" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Felix Maritime Agency (Company)">Felix Maritime Agency</a>’s Red Sea Operations Director, Bahi Naguib, argues that the ceasefire has shifted sentiment, but not decisively. “Confidence in the Red Sea won’t return overnight,” he affirms. “What we’re seeing now is not a rush back, but a recalibration. Captains, owners and insurers are reassessing the route with more nuance than before, rather than dismissing it outright.” He adds that for yachts, the decisive factor is less headline geopolitics than “insurance viability and operational clarity”, suggesting that if stability holds and cover remains accessible, the Red Sea could gradually re-establish itself as a viable transit corridor.While insurance availability has improved compared with a year ago, cover remains conditional and highly sensitive to changes in the security environment. As a result, transits may be increasingly feasible, but operators remain reluctant to treat the corridor as a dependable route.Sentiment among marinas across the northern Red Sea appears more optimistic, with renewed interest from yachts seeking alternative winter cruising grounds or transitional staging points between regions. Taken together, these dynamics suggest that the waters surrounding the Arabian Peninsula are re-entering itinerary planning discussions, even if they have not yet reclaimed their role as default routes.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/383068/image/large-9f9dcb514f0222e34cc17280502fd063.png" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/383068">For now, the outlook is one of measured optimism rather than certainty. Confidence is returning, but selectively, and its durability will depend on whether stability, insurance and operational guidance can align consistently over time.

Red sea superyacht cruising confidence returning

SYT examines whether Red Sea superyacht cruising is recovering, using AIS corridor data and insights from captains, insurers and operators.
