By Weilun SoonAug 3, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The key Saudi export port of Yanbu in the Red Sea appeared to have its busiest day since Houthi threats upended shipping in the region, while more ships transited dark through the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. Yanbu became crucial to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to keep shipping large volumes of crude after the Iran war snarled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The kingdom bypassed the waterway by piping million of barrels a day to the Red Sea for export to global customers. Separately, Greek-owned Suezmax Lesvos and India-flagged VLCC Desh Vaibhav sailed through Bab el-Mandeb over the weekend carrying Saudi crude loaded at Yanbu with their transponders off, according to analytics firms Vortexa and Kpler. The vessels have re-appeared in waters off Oman after previously broadcasting near the Red Sea port, ship-tracking data shows.