The record
Written from the 2 reports below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India turned back in the Red Sea after Yemen's Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and warned they would target ships using Saudi ports.
- One vessel, the VLCC Xin Long Yang with about 2 million barrels bound for China, halted before reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and headed north.
- Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export route via the East-West Pipeline as the Iran conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Avoiding the strait could force tankers onto far longer routes — increasing the voyage from around 7,000 to more than 17,000 miles — raising freight costs and delivery times amid rising oil prices.
What to watch next
- Whether more tankers divert from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait or halt Red Sea shipments
- Whether Houthi attacks on shipping actually extend beyond the Red Sea as warned
- Any developments in the collapsed US-Iran interim peace agreement affecting regional shipping
What changed2
Every report on this story, newest first. Times are when each outlet published.
Coverage2
2 reports
English national2
All filed from India
Named Iran · Saudi Arabia · United States · Yemen · Bahrain · Kuwait · Jordan · China · India · Russia · Ukraine · Kazakhstan · Black Sea · Bloomberg · Caspian Pipeline Consortium · Donald Trump · Egypt · Houthis · International Fund for Agricultural Development · Iran's Revolutionary Guards
The 2 reports are listed beside the record.
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