Red Sea Shipping Slows After Houthi Attack on Saudi Arabia, Data Shows
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait decreased significantly on Sunday following Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
- Transit through the Strait of Hormuz also remained low over the weekend.
- The disruptions have led to a jump in crude oil cargo prices in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa to two-month highs.
Maritime traffic through the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait saw a sharp decline on Sunday, reaching its lowest level in months, following attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi oil installations. This disruption compounds existing low traffic levels through the Strait of Hormuz, exacerbating concerns over global oil supply.
On Sunday, only eleven commodity vessels transited the Bab el-Mandeb, with seven being oil tankers. Three of these tankers were heading into the Red Sea to load Saudi crude, while one was a Russian-linked ship. Vessels exiting the Red Sea included tankers carrying Saudi and Emirati crude destined for China, Russian crude for China, and Saudi crude for Pakistan.
Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months, the data showed.
The Houthi military spokesperson claimed responsibility for striking sites belonging to Saudi Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. These attacks expand the regional conflict, which has already impacted oil supply routes.
The shipping disruption caused prices of physical crude cargoes in the Middle East, Europe and Africa to jump to two-month highs last week.
Meanwhile, fewer than ten commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily over the weekend, despite a pause in strikes between the U.S. and Iran. Seven vessels transited on Sunday, including Iranian-linked oil product tankers exiting the strait. Saturday saw only three vessels, some with transponders switched off, including tankers heading to Qatar and the UAE, and one carrying Qatari naphtha to Japan.
These combined shipping disruptions have caused prices for physical crude cargoes across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa to surge to their highest levels in two months, highlighting the fragility of global energy markets.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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