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Houthi attacks prompt at least two Saudi oil tankers to turn back
One diverted tanker had been loaded with Saudi crude for India, while another was carrying oil toward China.
Oil tankers have begun diverting away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemen’s Houthis said they struck two Saudi tankers in the chokepoint, following a naval blockade declared earlier this week, OilPrice reports.
According to the reports cited by OilPrice, one of the tankers was loaded with Saudi crude for India, while the other was carrying oil to China. A freight analyst at Kpler said in commentary quoted by India’s Telegraph that the early number of diversions suggests owners and operators are taking the threat seriously, with potentially wider implications if it becomes a broader trend.
OilPrice also notes that the Houthi forces spokesman Yahya Saree said they targeted two Saudi oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, for violating the blockade. OilPrice further states that Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA later confirmed a strike on one tanker that was on fire.
Separately, OilPrice said Reuters reported two Chinese tankers loaded with Saudi crude were heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with indications of Chinese crews on board. OilPrice added that total vessel crossings through the Red Sea chokepoint fell to 27 on Wednesday, including five crude oil tankers and one liquefied natural gas carrier, down from 38 on Tuesday.
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