- Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb fell to its lowest level in months on Sunday after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil installations, according to Kpler shipping data.
- Four vessels exited the Red Sea on Sunday, including the VLCC New Explorer carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude for China's Ningbo port, a tanker with 1 million barrels of Russian crude for China, and a tanker with 750,000 barrels of Saudi crude for Pakistan.
- This exit marked the third time a vessel carrying crude from the region has left the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait since the Houthi attacks escalated.
A Houthi attack on Saudi oil installations has disrupted shipping traffic in the Red Sea, with only eleven vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, marking the lowest level in months, according to data from Kpler.12
The attack targeted facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu, as reported by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.
Among the vessels that managed to exit the Red Sea was the Hong Kong-flagged VLCC New Explorer, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude to eastern China's Ningbo port. Other tankers included one with 1 million barrels of Russian crude for China and another with 750,000 barrels of Saudi crude for Pakistan.3
This incident raises significant concerns about the security of shipping routes in the region, particularly as it is the third vessel to exit the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait amidst ongoing tensions.4
“Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait fell to its lowest level in months on Sunday after the attacks, with only eleven commodity vessels passing through. Among the four vessels that exited the Red Sea was the VLCC New Explorer carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude for China.”
