Saudi builds maritime coalition to secure safe shipping routes

Saudi Arabia is establishing a maritime coalition to secure safe shipping routes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Semafor. Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Alshehri will lead the effort, which includes Egypt, Pakistan, Türkiye, and ten other countries. The coalition aims to counter the threat posed by Yemen’s Houthis, who have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping, attacked Saudi oil tankers, and are threatening to impose tolls.

The urgency to secure the waterway is heightened by the kingdom's diversion of oil exports through the Red Sea during the war, which has forced Saudi crude onto longer, costlier routes and added to global trade strains. The coalition is expected to finalize its charter in Jeddah on August 12-13.

Brief written by urgent.news from Semafor's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.