Two Saudi Oil Tankers Turn Back in Red Sea After Houthi Embargo Expands

Two crude tankers carrying Saudi oil turned around in the Red Sea on Tuesday after Houthi forces warned all shipowners to keep clear of Saudi ports.

The Xin Long Yang is a Singapore-flagged supertanker that was carrying around two million barrels of Saudi crude bound for China. It turned back. A second tanker, the Rodos, an Aframax loaded with roughly 700,000 barrels for India, reversed course too and headed north toward the Suez Canal. Both had departed Yanbu, a Saudi terminal on the Red Sea coast, on Monday.

The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia on Monday, citing Saudi air strikes on Sanaa airport. The following day, Houthi representatives sent a message to shipping companies stating that any tanker calling at a Saudi port could be targeted, regardless of flag.

Saudi Arabia rejected the threat.

Both tankers had been heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb, the narrow strait between Yemen and Djibouti that most Saudi oil exports must pass through to reach open water. With the rerouting confirmed, the crude will go north through Suez instead.

The shipping context extends beyond this report: our guides explain the importance of maritime chokepoints, how conflict changes shipping routes, and why ships take longer routes.