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Saudi oil tankers transit Red Sea as Hormuz traffic slows amid attacks
🇬🇷 Greece /Energy & Infrastructure

Saudi oil tankers transit Red Sea as Hormuz traffic slows amid attacks

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude passed through the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb Strait over the weekend.
  • Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed following reports of attacks on vessels.
  • Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a naval embargo against Saudi Arabia, escalating regional tensions.

Two oil tankers laden with Saudi crude traversed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea over the weekend. This comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed following reports of attacks on ships, according to maritime traffic data released Monday.

The number of cargo ships passing through Bab el-Mandeb decreased to 18 on Sunday, down from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday.

— Kpler dataData showing reduced traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The number of cargo ships passing through Bab el-Mandeb decreased to 18 on Sunday, down from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday, data from Kpler shows. The Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen declared a naval embargo against Saudi Arabia on July 20, opening a new front in the conflict between Iran and its adversaries. They have expanded attacks on tankers carrying global energy products and other cargo beyond the Persian Gulf.

The Suezmax tanker Lesvos and the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Desh Vaibhav exited the Red Sea with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders turned off, according to the data. The Malta-flagged Lesvos carried approximately 1 million barrels of Saudi crude oil, with its final destination not immediately known. The Desh Vaibhav, carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, is heading to the Indian port of Sikka, where Reliance Industries typically receives crude oil shipments.

The Lesvos, under Malta flag, carried approximately 1 million barrels of Saudi crude oil.

— DataDetails about one of the tankers that passed through the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian naphtha rerouted to sail around Africa instead of transiting the Red Sea. At the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport passed before hostilities began, a tanker loaded with Iranian LPG transited on Sunday, Kpler data indicates. Some vessels may have deactivated their AIS systems and are not immediately trackable.

The Desh Vaibhav, carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, is heading to the Indian port of Sikka.

— DataDetails about the second tanker that passed through the Red Sea.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported three more attacks on tankers since Saturday. Greek shipping company Gaslog also reported an incident involving the LNG carrier Gaslog Shanghai on July 31. The number of cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell to 10 on Saturday, from 19 on Friday, the highest number since mid-July, according to the data. Among them were the VLCC Kiku, carrying about 1.4 million barrels of Qatari crude, and the VLCC Rotterdam Energy, with a cargo of 2 million barrels of Das oil from the United Arab Emirates.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that three more attacks against tankers have been recorded since Saturday.

— UKMTOReporting on recent attacks on tankers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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