Saudi Arabia Plans Updated Export Routes as Six Tankers Blocked by Houthis in Red Sea

Ship tracking data released on Monday showed six Saudi-flagged supertankers turning away from the Gulf of Aden and heading for southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea. Instead of passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait into the Red Sea, the tankers opted for a much longer course around southern Africa, potentially adding 25 days to their transit time. The Saudis, like other Persian Gulf oil states, are searching for alternative shipping routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi strategy has involved using pipelines to shift their exports to Red Sea ports, which are now under threat from the Houthis. This strategy reduced Saudi dependence upon the Persian Gulf ports blocked by Iran, but left Aramco vulnerable to Houthi piracy.