Three Saudi oil tankers, carrying crude for India and China, had made a U-turn in the Red Sea rather than braving the Yemeni coast at the sea’s mouth following a warning from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia.
The oil tankers — the Xin Long Yang, the Rodos and the Amazon — were headed towards the Suez Canal when the warning came, according to a report by news agency Reuters
The changes in direction by the vessels suggest a second potential disruption to a major shipping route from the Middle East that could compound the shortfall in global energy markets, already under crisis due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier this week, the Iran-backed Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The move has raised the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.
The rebel group, in an email sent to shipping companies, warned them not to load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports and said such activity may result in being targeted “in any location.”