Oil Tankers U-turn in Red Sea amid Houthi Blockade of Saudi Ports

International Oil Tankers U-turn in Red Sea amid Houthi Blockade of Saudi Ports Written: 2026-07-22 15:19:23 / Updated: 2026-07-22 15:20:42 Share Print Photo : YONHAP News / NASA Worldview, Reuters Anchor: Oil tankers are altering their routes in the Red Sea following a declared maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. With shipping severely disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz and now the Red Sea route under siege, there are mounting concerns that global crude supplies could drop by as much as 25 percent. Rosyn Park has this report.

Report: Yemen's Houthi group claimed on Tuesday local time that six ships turned back within 24 hours after warnings as part of its blockade on Saudi shipping. According to international vessel tracking sites, two oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea and headed instead towards the Suez Canal. If the Red Sea gateway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is closed, delivering Saudi crude to East Asia will require a much longer detour through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean Sea, and around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.

Roughly five to six million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products normally pass through the strait daily, equating to about 12 percent of total global seaborne oil. The Wall Street Journal analyzed that simultaneous disruptions at Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz could threaten 25 percent of global crude oil supply, and that shipping traffic would also plunge to half its current level if the Houthi blockade fully materializes. Amid mounting concern, the International Energy Agency warned against "complacency" over global oil security, saying the escalating conflict in the Middle East continues to pose risks to energy markets despite emergency stock releases and alternative supply routes to cushion disruptions.

Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, South Korea has relied on the Bab el-Mandeb gateway as an alternative route to purchase Saudi crude loaded from the Red Sea port of Yanbu. More than 80 percent of the Saudi crude transported to Yanbu is purchased by South Korea, Japan and other East Asian energy importers. According to Seoul, a total of 15 South Korean tankers have passed through the Red Sea to transport Saudi crude to the country since the Strait of Hormuz was blocked in late February.

Currently, there are no South Korean vessels anchored in the Red Sea. The South Korean government says it has secured enough crude supplies for now, locking down more than 90 percent of its required volume for September. Rosyn Park, KBS World Radio News.

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