Saudi Oil Tankers 'Go Dark' in Red Sea Amid Houthi Blockade Threat

Two Saudi oil tankers, Amazon and Rodos, have exited the Red Sea by going 'dark' after Yemen's Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipments. The vessels were carrying 1 million barrels of oil for Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and 700,000 barrels of crude for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

The tankers briefly turned north toward the Suez Canal before switching off their Automatic Identification System transponders on July 22. This allowed them to exit the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait without public tracking.

Going 'dark' is a normal practice for vessels transiting war zone areas, and sources said it was done for safety purposes. The Rodos is expected to arrive at Mangalore on August 1, while the Amazon is scheduled to reach Chennai in early August.