Saudi Crude Tanker Evades Houthi Blockade in Red Sea
A Saudi crude oil tanker transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait with its AIS (Automatic Identification System) signal switched off, amid heightened risks to vessels in the Red Sea. The Merbabu, owned by a Greek company and carrying Saudi crude oil, emerged in the Arabian Sea late on Thursday.
The move is reminiscent of tactics used in the Strait of Hormuz, where shippers and tanker operators would switch off their AIS signals to avoid hostile targeting. In this case, the Merbabu's previous broadcast from the Red Sea three days ago openly stated that it had 'NO LINK ISRAEL UK US'.
Despite the Houthi blockade on Saudi shipments, 'two China-crewed, China-bound tankers loaded at Yanbu and cleared Bab al-Mandeb apparently untouched', according to maritime intelligence firm Windward. The company noted that enforcement is calibrated to crew and ownership, not cargo.