Saudi Oil Tankers Navigate Chaos as Houthi Blockade Takes Toll

Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil have safely exited the Red Sea via the Bab El-Mandeb strait, avoiding a blockade by Yemen's Houthi militias.

The vessels, Singaporean-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang and Chinese-flagged VLCC Cosnew Lake, made their escape after Unipec, the trading arm of Asia's largest refiner Sinopec, chartered them to transport Saudi crude from the port of Yanbu. The Xin Long Yang was heading for the port of Qinzhou in southern Guangxi province, while Cosnew Lake is expected to discharge its cargo at the port of Huizhou in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

However, other Saudi vessels have not been so lucky. The Houthi militia announced that they had carried out a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers, which supply crude to Saudi power plants and local refineries. One of these vessels, the Encelia, was reportedly attacked in the Red Sea and was on fire, although its crew was safe.

Shipping traffic through the Bab El-Mandeb has declined significantly due to the conflict, with only 27 vessels passing through the strait on Wednesday, down from 38 the previous day. Meanwhile, movement through the Strait of Hormuz remains subdued, with only two VLCCs emerging from the strait on Thursday.