China Strikes Deal With Houthis To Allow Oil Tanker Passage Through Red Sea
Beijing has secured individual clearance for Chinese oil tankers to transit the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb strait following direct talks with Yemen's Houthis, granting safe passage to a designated fleet amid a broader naval blockade. At least four Chinese vessels carrying Saudi crude have already passed through the waterway since the restrictions began.
The selective arrangement comes as other tanker operators reroute around Africa or utilize a pipeline bypass to Egypt to avoid Houthi threats to ships linked to Saudi ports. Switching to the longer routing adds roughly 25 days of voyage time and raises freight costs by about $5 a barrel.
From the sources (25 posts)
@ajenglishFor months, focus has been on the Strait of Hormuz, but Bab al-Mandab is another key Middle East chokepoint. Yemen’s Houthis have declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia there, threatening global oil and trade. Al Jazeera’s Julide Ayge
@steve_hankeThanks to Trump's war in Iran, the Houthis have blocked the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. As a result, Saudi oil tankers have been forced to exit the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. STAY LONG CRUDE OIL.
@me_observer_⚡️⭕️ Yemen: Ansarallah forces targeted 3 Saudi oil tankers in past 48 hours; 16 Saudi ships turned back since Monday with none permitted through Bab al-Mandab. Blockade remains in effect. (Al Mayadeen Breaking)
@osint613The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese channel al-Mayadeen, citing an exclusive source, reports that the Houthis have struck 3 Saudi oil tankers over the last 48 hours. 16 Saudi vessels have been forced to turn back, and per the source, no Saudi
@steve_hankeTanker trackers show ZERO crude oil tankers have crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait over the past three days, after averaging more than four per day earlier this month. WHEN IT COMES TO THE BAB EL-MANDEB STRAIT, THE HOUTHIS RUN THE SHOW. htt
@burggrabenhThe MoU opened an escape lane off Oman on 20 June. 167 ships ran it in 19 days. Since 9 July: 4. And even at its busiest, more ships left the Gulf than entered. 2,143 crossings of Hormuz across all commodities say this is an evacuation, no
@reutersRed Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
@ajenglishShip traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has slowed after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities and the group's announcement of a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia. 🔴 LIVE updates:
@reutersbizShip traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on July 26 after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed. More
@reutersShip traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on July 26 after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed https
@lrozenRT @Reuters: Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on July 26 after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea co…
@anasalhajjiThis is a good sign! It means that most or all of the refinery is shut down, and flaring activity has increased. In the event of a massive fire and significant damage, the red spots should rise sharply and then die down quickly. If the
@anasalhajjiIt looks like the video was taken from the building complex marked by the small red circle (when you zoom in, you can see the same street, buildings, parking, etc.). You can compare the size of the refinery relative to the smoke visible in
@businessAn Asia-bound supertanker carrying Saudi oil has exited the Red Sea via the longer Suez Canal route
@clashreportA major fire is still burning at Saudi Aramco's Jizan refinery more than 48 hours after Houthi ballistic missile and drone strikes overnight on 25 July. Satellite imagery and NASA thermal data confirm damage to storage tanks and pipelines
@mercoglianosTanker rates set to soar on Houthi attack fears in Red Sea Attacks on Saudi tankers and refineries by Yemen based Houthi could see owners avoiding Bab el-Mandeb Strait
@trenttelenkoRT @IranObserver0: ⚡️BREAKING: Insurance companies have Stopped Insuring ships with connections to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea due to the H…
@ajenewsBREAKING: Saudi Aramco is considering a new pricing mechanism for crude exports from Egypt's Sidi Kerir port to Asia as longer shipping routes through the Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline raise transport costs, sources say. 🔴 More on https://t.
@ajenglishRT @AJENews: BREAKING: Saudi Aramco is considering a new pricing mechanism for crude exports from Egypt's Sidi Kerir port to Asia as longer…
@staunovoEmpty supertankers are heading to Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir to collect Saudi crude as observable traffic at the kingdom’s key Red Sea export hub dwindles following threats from Houthi militants. At least eight very large cru
@javierblasMore oil tankers (VLCCs) are heading toward Egypt to pick up Saudi crude (via a bypass pipeline for the bypass pipeline), rather than the Red Sea. The voyage around Africa adds 25 days extra (each way). It's an expensive detour, but it work
@philippilkNew Glut Watch just dropped: Brent will soon fall to $70 a barrel because the Saudis are shipping oil through the Suez and around the Horn of Africa. Reports suggest all water in the Suez Canal has been replaced with crude oil such is the g
@rusoilgasexpert➡️ On a limited basis, rerouting Saudi Red Sea exports via the Mediterranean and the Cape of Good Hope works, but it would require a large number of VLCCs to fully reroute all Saudi crude to Asia. ➡️ An 'around Africa' round trip to Asia t
@staunovoRT @RusOilGasExpert: ➡️ On a limited basis, rerouting Saudi Red Sea exports via the Mediterranean and the Cape of Good Hope works, but it w…
@amena__bakrSaudi Arabia’s crude export routes are proving more resilient than expected. • Exports through Bab el-Mandeb continue despite the Houthi embargo. • Yanbu remains the Kingdom’s key alternative to Hormuz, with June exports reaching 4.14 mbd.