Tankers make sharp U-turns after Houthi shipping threat - BBC

What the report says

BBC Verify reported that ship-tracking data shows at least seven oil tankers turned around near Yemen after the Iran-linked Houthi movement announced what it called a “maritime embargo” on Saudi Arabia on Monday. The vessels had been heading to or from Saudi ports, and their course changes came shortly after the threat was issued, though BBC noted the reasons for each individual turn could not be independently confirmed.

According to the BBC, the Houthis warned shipowners that vessels loading or unloading at Saudi ports were banned and could be targeted within the group’s operational reach. Saudi Arabia rejected Houthi claims that it was blockading ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and said it would take necessary steps to protect its ships under international law. The EU naval mission Aspides also advised merchant ships linked to Israeli, US or Saudi interests to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the risk level falls, Reuters reported in an advisory cited by the BBC.

The development matters because the Red Sea is a major trade corridor linking the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The BBC said the route has become especially important for Saudi oil exports after the US-Israeli war with Iran sharply limited traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts cited by the BBC warned that further disruption could raise freight and energy costs, even if the effect on consumers is not immediate.

The threat follows years of conflict in Yemen and earlier Houthi attacks on shipping during the Gaza war, which disrupted commercial traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.