More commercial vessels changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday after Yemen’s Houthis threatened to attack ships trading with Saudi Arabia, raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies and maritime commerce.
Ship-tracking data showed four tankers reversing or altering direction, with two indicating the Suez Canal as their new destination. A fifth vessel, the vehicle carrier Liu Jiang Kou, also appeared to turn away in the Gulf of Aden after previously listing the Saudi port of Jeddah as its next stop.
The Iran-aligned Houthis announced what they described as a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on Monday, warning shipping companies against loading or unloading cargo at Saudi ports.
The threat has already begun affecting tanker movements, according to shipbroker Clarksons.
Several tankers that loaded at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu have reportedly turned north toward the Suez Canal rather than sailing south through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while other vessels remain stationary awaiting further instructions.
Three oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea on Tuesday. Among them was the Xin Long Yang, which is managed by China’s COSCO Shipping.
The European Union’s Aspides naval mission warned that ships linked to Saudi Arabia, the United States or Israel face an increased risk of attack and should avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the security threat declines.
The advisory also urged vessels that had recently visited Saudi ports to reduce their electronic visibility by limiting Automatic Identification System transmissions and restricting publicly available information that could be used for targeting.
Maritime security sources said ships in the Red Sea had received separate recorded warnings from the Houthis since Monday, stating that vessels heading to Saudi ports could be considered targets.
The escalating threat has raised questions about the future of shipments from Yanbu, the western outlet of Saudi Arabia’s east-west oil pipeline.
Yanbu has become increasingly important as an alternative export route during periods of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Any closure or major restriction at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would reduce that alternative and intensify fears of supply shortages.
Shipbroker Braemar said the Houthi threat had created serious doubts about the viability of eastbound shipping routes from Yanbu.
Several tankers were still positioned near the port’s anchorage on Wednesday, according to tracking data.
Red Sea shipping has yet to fully recover from Houthi attacks that began in November 2023. The group said those operations were carried out in support of Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Attacks on commercial vessels later stopped following the Gaza ceasefire last October, but the latest threats against Saudi-linked shipping have renewed fears of a wider disruption across one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.