An Egyptian man sits and eats ice cream as he watches international cargo and tanker ships pass through the Suez canalSeveral of the world's major tanker companies on Friday halted traffic toward the Red Sea after U.S. and British airstrikes on Iran-allied Houthi militants in Yemen. The companies are among the world's largest operators of tankers for petroleum products such as gasoline, according to their websites. The multinational coalition advised ships to avoid transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for "several days," according to a statement from the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. Some 7 million barrels of crude oil and products transit the Red Sea daily, according the trade analytics firm Kpler.

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Persons: Sheena Williamson, Holt, Bab Organizations: Stena Bulk, Combined Maritime Forces, U.S, CNBC, International Association of Independent Tanker Locations: Suez, Iran, Yemen, Torm, Mandeb, Aden