Tankers make sharp U-turns after Houthi shipping threat near Yemen

At least seven oil tankers have turned back close to Yemen after the Houthi group announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday. Ship-tracking data shows the vessels were either heading to or from Saudi ports when they changed course. The moves come amid renewed concern over traffic through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, two of the world's most important shipping routes.

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The ships altered course after the embargo announcement, according to the tracking data cited by maritime analysts. One crude oil tanker loaded with Saudi crude left the Red Sea port of al-Muajiz on Monday evening and headed south before reversing direction about nine hours later. Another tanker departed Saudi Arabia's Jazan port on Monday afternoon and also turned back after initially sailing south.

The EU naval force Aspides advised on Wednesday that merchant vessels linked to Israeli, US or Saudi interests should avoid transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the threat level falls. The warning reflects the sensitivity of a corridor through which nearly 15% of global sea trade passes. The Bab al-Mandab Strait, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is one of the key choke points on that route.

The disruption matters because the Red Sea has become a major route for Saudi oil exports, especially after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the wider regional conflict described in the supplied material. Analysts quoted in the source said further restrictions could push up prices and suppress international traffic beyond ships directly linked to Saudi Arabia. That raises the risk of wider commercial disruption in a corridor already under pressure from security threats.

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Maritime intelligence firm Kpler said that the day before the embargo announcement, 20 vessels entered the Red Sea and 22 exited through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Ship-tracking data also showed at least eight ships bound for the Red Sea making U-turns rather than entering from the south. Among them was a Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier that had been sailing toward Jeddah from China before changing course in the Gulf of Aden.

What remains unclear is how long the embargo threat will last and whether it will lead to direct attacks or only precautionary rerouting. It is also not yet clear how many more vessels may alter course as operators reassess risk in the area. The next developments to watch are further advisories from naval forces, changes in tanker movements, and any impact on oil flows through the Red Sea corridor.

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