LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days and are heading to southern Africa following threats by Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi shipping, tracking data showed on Monday. The tankers, which were empty of cargo after returning from destinations in Asia, were sailing in formation towards southern Africa, rather than opting to transit the southern Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, according to AIS ship-tracking on LSEG and MarineTraffic. The vessels’ Saudi-based operator Bahri and other Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Their journeys will add at least 25 additional days of sailing time if they opt to cross Suez back to Saudi ports in the Red Sea, according to Reuters calculations. Houthi attacks in recent days on Saudi-linked ships prompted London’s marine insurance market last week to widen its “high risk” zone in the Red Sea, adding waters close to more Saudi Arabian ports.