Saudi Oil Tankers Navigate Troubled Waters Amid Rising Tensions

Two Saudi oil tankers left the Red Sea over the weekend, according to shipping data. The Lesvos and Desh Vaibhav vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, carrying a combined total of approximately 3.4 million barrels of crude oil.

The Lesvos, flying under the Malta flag, was headed towards an unknown destination, while the Desh Vaibhav is bound for India's Sikka port to deliver its cargo to Reliance Industries.

Kpler data revealed that commodity vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait dropped to 18 on Sunday from 27 on Friday and 28 on Saturday, indicating a decline in traffic due to the Iran-aligned Houthis' maritime ban against Saudi Arabia announced on July 20.