Saudi Oil Tankers Vanish from Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Rise

Two tankers carrying Saudi oil left the Red Sea at the weekend, according to shipping data. The Suezmax tanker Lesvos and the Very Large Crude Carrier Desh Vaibhav departed without their Automatic Identification Systems transponders (AIS), sparking concerns about vessel safety.

The Lesvos was carrying around 1 million barrels of Saudi crude, while the Desh Vaibhav had 2 million barrels bound for India's Sikka Port. The Shipping Corp of India operates the Desh Vaibhav, but could not be reached immediately for comment.

Meanwhile, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz slowed after reports of vessel attacks. Kpler data revealed that only 10 vessels carrying commodities passed through the strait on Sunday, down from 19 on Friday, which was the highest since mid-July.