Saudi Oil Tankers Avoid Bab el-Mandeb Strait Amid Security Concerns
Six Saudi-flagged Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) have altered their course to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb route, a key shipping waterway in the Middle East. According to MarineTraffic, the tankers are now sailing south through the Indian Ocean instead of entering the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The vessels, which were carrying no cargo after completing previous voyages to Asia, have changed their destinations to various ports along South Africa's coast. The Ghinah and Laynah tankers are headed for Durban, while the Burqan has switched its destination from Algoa Bay to Port Elizabeth.
The diversions come amid heightened security concerns after Yemen's Houthi group threatened vessels linked to Saudi ports. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and serves as a major route for ships traveling between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe through the Suez Canal.