Red Sea shipping drops after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil sites, data shows

Shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has fallen to its lowest point in months, data from Kpler revealed, following recent Houthi attacks on Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast. This significant reduction in transit impacts Red Sea shipping routes, a vital corridor for global trade.

On Sunday, only eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Of these, seven were oil tankers, with three heading into the Red Sea. Two of these tankers were destined for the port of Yanbu to load Saudi crude, while a third, a Russian-linked vessel, also transited. Four vessels exited the Red Sea, including a VLCC carrying Saudi and Emirati crude for China and another carrying Russian crude for China.

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Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months, the data showed.

The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for striking facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. These attacks have intensified disruptions in the region, which have been ongoing since last week.

Meanwhile, transit through the Strait of Hormuz has also remained subdued over the weekend. Fewer than 10 commodity vessels passed through daily, despite a pause in strikes between the US and Iran in the Middle East. On Sunday, seven vessels transited, including Iranian-linked oil products tankers exiting the strait. Saturday saw only three vessels pass with their transponders switched off, including a VLCC heading to Qatar and a tanker carrying Qatari naphtha.

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The group struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday.