Two Chinese supertankers with Saudi oil head to Bab el-Mandeb for Red Sea exit
The vessels are carrying 4 million barrels of Saudi crude as Houthi attacks and a declared blockade disrupt regional shipping.
- On Thursday, two Chinese supertankers carrying 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil exited the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait, testing the Iran-aligned Houthis' naval blockade announced on Monday.
- The Houthis claimed a military operation targeting two Saudi tankers on Thursday, while the Saudi Arabian news agency SPA reported the vessel Encelia caught fire in the Red Sea, though the crew remained safe.
- Chartered by Unipec, the Singaporean-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang and the Chinese-flagged Cosnew Lake broadcast that Chinese crew were onboard via automatic identification system transmitters, signaling transparency during transit.
- Shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait declined sharply on Wednesday, with 27 vessels crossing compared to 38 the previous day, as some operators switched off tracking signals to avoid detection.
- Reflecting Middle East instability, multiple vessels including those chartered by Unipec have slowed their advance and circled in the Gulf of Aden, signaling broader hesitation among shippers navigating the contested region.
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Hoon-sang = Even as the Yemeni Houthi rebels threatened to blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, Chinese oil tankers carrying Saudi Arabian crude oil...
Two Chinese supertankers with Saudi oil exit Red Sea
Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil exited the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, shipping data showed, apparently escaping a blockade on shipments of Saudi oil by Yemen's Houthi militias even as other Saudi vessels came under attack.
Two Chinese super-oilers transporting, together, 4 million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia left the Red Sea by the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday, showing navigational data, apparently escaping a blockade on Saudi oil shipments imposed by Yemen's Houthis militias, even while other Saudi ships were targeted.
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Chinese tanker passes Red Sea choke point despite Houthi blockade
The Houthi militia in Yemen appears to be allowing some ships to pass through the Bab al-Mandab strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, despite its blockade of shipping to Saudi Arabia, experts said on Thursday. A Chinese oil tanker, Cosco Shipping’s VLCC Xin Long Yang, has been granted permission to pass through the waterway, according to the trade publication Lloyd’s List. It said Chinese tankers returning from the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red S…
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