started · updated
Houthi blockade cuts Saudi oil shipments via Bab al‑Mandeb and Yanbu
The Houthi militia announced a naval blockade of Saudi‑linked vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al‑Mandeb on 20 July. Following attacks on the Saudi tankers Encelia and Layla, crude oil loadings at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu export terminal fell by roughly 30‑40 %, and traffic through the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait dropped to just 11 commodity vessels on a Sunday – the lowest level in months. Four of six processing units at the Buqayq refinery were damaged in a subsequent Houthi strike. During the week, “dark” tankers operating with AIS off contributed about one‑third of the volume handled at Yanbu. Large Hong‑Kong‑flagged supertankers such as New Explorer and New Pearl each carried about 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude to Chinese ports. Yemeni‑Houthi sources also reported that 16 Saudi tankers were forced to turn back, with none successfully transiting Bab al‑Mandeb after the blockade was imposed.
Entities
Ansar Allah (Houthi movement) · Associated Maritime Hong Kong · Bab al‑Mandeb · Bab al‑Mandeb Strait · Bab el-Mandeb Strait · Bab el‑Mandeb Strait · Buqayq refinery · Houthi militia · Houthi movement · Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) · Houthi movement (Yemen) · Jizan
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 14 SOURCES] Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained below ten merchant vessels per day over the weekend. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +8 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] The Houthi movement announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping through Bab el‑Mandeb. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +12 more
- [● 19 SOURCES] Seven of the vessels that passed through Bab el‑Mandeb were oil tankers. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +12 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] A tanker carried about 750 000 barrels of Saudi crude bound for Pakistan. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +9 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] Houthi forces attacked Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +14 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The Houthi movement aims to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +3 more
- [● 15 SOURCES] A tanker carried roughly 1 million barrels of Russian crude to China. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +9 more
- [● 17 SOURCES] The Hong‑Kong‑flagged VLCC New Explorer carried about 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude to Ningbo, China. omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.ertnews.gr · www.mononews.gr · +11 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] Two Hong‑Kong‑flagged supertankers together carried about 4 million barrels of Saudi crude to China. www.khaama.com · dailytimes.com.pk
- [● 18 SOURCES] The Houthi movement announced a naval blockade of Saudi-linked shipping through Bab al‑Mandeb and the Red Sea on July 20. prismaradio.gr · omegalive.com.cy · www.ot.gr · athina984.gr · www.dunya.com · +13 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] Only 11 commodity vessels passed Bab al‑Mandeb on Sunday, the lowest level in months. prismaradio.gr · omegalive.com.cy · www.khaama.com · dailytimes.com.pk · www.ot.gr · +9 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] Two Hong Kong‑flagged VLCCs carried a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude to Chinese ports. www.khaama.com · dailytimes.com.pk