Saudi oil exports ‘go dark’ amid Houthi threat
• Tankers in Red Sea switch off tracking to evade attacks; conflicting data clouds scale of export disruption • Tehran says no major progress in talks with Washington • Trump claims US has total control over Hormuz DUBAI: Saudi crude exports from the Red Sea are increasingly vanishing from view as tankers switch off tracking signals to avoid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, with analysts saying all…
DUBAI: Saudi crude exports from the Red Sea are disappearing from view as tankers deactivate tracking signals in response to Yemeni Houthis' attacks, according to analysts. The Houthis imposed a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20, targeting the US and allies in the Iran conflict. Conflicting data from ship-tracking firms has made it difficult to gauge the impact on Saudi crude flows.
Last week, Vortexa estimated Yanbu loadings at 2.38 million barrels per day, Kpler estimated a drop to 1.78m bpd, while AXSMarine calculated an increase to 850,000 bpd. In the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, vessel numbers have decreased from 50 to 32. Saudi Arabia is now rerouting oil through the Suez Canal or Egypt's SUMED pipeline, with Sidi Kerir loadings reaching a record 2.17m bpd, 90% of which is Saudi crude.
Iran and the US remain at odds over efforts to end the war in the Gulf, with no progress made on extending their ceasefire.
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