Chinese Supertankers Outmaneuver Houthi Blockade in Red Sea
Two Chinese supertankers have successfully navigated through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, evading the Houthi blockade in the Red Sea. The vessels, which carried a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude, were chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese refiner Sinopec. However, it remains unclear whether PetroChina was the actual charterer for one of the tankers.
The supertankers, Xin Long Yang and Cosnew Lake, made a U-turn in the Red Sea on Tuesday before resuming their journey southward late Wednesday. They crossed the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, with the Xin Long Yang heading to the port of Qinzhou in southern Guangxi province, while the Cosnew Lake is expected to discharge its cargo at the port of Huizhou in Guangdong province.
The export hub of Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia has gained importance as Riyadh seeks alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz. The Red Sea blockade by the Houthi militias has worsened a broader disruption of global energy flows, with oil prices trading near $100 per barrel.