Saudi Crude Tankers Reverse Course Amid Houthi Blockade
Two supertankers carrying 2.8 million barrels of Saudi crude turned north in the Red Sea on Tuesday, reversing course toward the Suez Canal rather than continuing south through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, as shipping data showed the first concrete evidence that Yemen’s Houthi movement has begun enforcing the naval blockade it declared against Saudi Arabia a day earlier.
The tankers Rodos and Xin Long Yang, both loaded at Yanbu port on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, had been on a standard Asia-bound heading before their AIS signals bent northward, according to vessel-tracking data reviewed by Al Jazeera. The reversal came after Houthi authorities threatened to attack any vessel transiting Bab al-Mandeb to or from Saudi ports, a threat the movement said was retaliation for a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa’s international airport.
Global Oil Supply at Risk
The strategic stakes are large. Approximately 6 million barrels of crude pass daily through the Bab al-Mandeb strait toward Asian markets, with two-thirds of that volume, roughly 4 million barrels, originating from Saudi Arabia. An additional 1.9 million barrels of Russian crude also transits the route to Asian refineries. Houthi control of access to the strait would give the movement a chokepoint over a substantial share of global oil supply.
Shipping activity in the corridor collapsed sharply on Tuesday. Only three commodity vessels were recorded in the wider strait region, according to maritime tracking data, and two vessels near Bab al-Mandeb disabled their AIS transponders, a measure typically used by tanker operators to evade targeting by hostile forces. Twelve vessels carrying Yanbu crude remained stationary in the Red Sea, their operators apparently unwilling to proceed in either direction while the threat picture remained unclear.
Alternative Routes Pose Challenges
The most obvious alternative, routing Saudi crude through Egypt’s Suez Canal, carries its own constraints. Very large crude carriers, which dominate Saudi exports from Yanbu, cannot transit the Suez Canal when fully laden due to their draft depth. Operators would need to either partially offload cargo through a lightering operation or shift to smaller Suezmax tankers, reducing efficiency and raising costs. A full rerouting through the Cape of Good Hope would extend a voyage to South Korea from approximately 24 days to around 54 days. Energy analysts at Kpler said longer voyages would immediately raise tanker demand, insurance rates, and freight prices.
International Reactions
Turkey was among the first governments to issue a formal condemnation. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it opposed the imposition of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and “reaffirm our solidarity with Saudi Arabia,” warning that actions endangering maritime security in the Red Sea “must be immediately halted.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked about the blockade separately, called it “problematic” without specifying what military or diplomatic steps Washington would take in response.
Among Asian oil importers, India carries the greatest exposure. More than half of India’s crude oil imports transit Bab al-Mandeb. Pakistan, already managing significant economic fragility, sources 36 percent of its crude through the same route. South Korea, Japan, and China face smaller but still consequential disruptions, with 31 percent, 28 percent, and 19 percent of their respective crude imports affected by any sustained blockade of the strait.
Oil markets extended gains as news of the course reversals spread. Brent crude had already climbed through the preceding days of US-Iran strikes disrupting Gulf shipping; the Houthi blockade added a second source of supply anxiety, threatening Saudi export capacity on top of ongoing tanker disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ships transit the Red Sea near Bab al-Mandeb strait as Yemen’s Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. [Image Source: Getty Images/Al Jazeera]
The blockade entered effect as the US military was completing its eleventh consecutive night of strikes
Original Article: Houthi Blockade Forces Saudi Crude Tankers to Turn Around — Easternherald