Red Sea tankers turn back after Houthi threat

Several ships altered course near the region after the embargo announcement. The crude oil tanker Rodos, carrying Saudi crude and bound for India, left the Red Sea port of al-Muajiz on Monday evening, headed south, then reversed course about nine hours later and went north. The oil and chemical tanker Mica, which had departed Saudi Arabia’s Jazan port, also turned back. Other vessels bound for the Red Sea did not enter the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the south, while the Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier Liu Jiang Kou changed course in the Gulf of Aden and the Hong Kong-flagged crude tanker New Prime turned around and appeared to wait in the Arabian Sea.

Maritime firms said they could not independently verify why each ship changed course, but Vanguard said the timing matched the embargo announcement. The European Union’s naval force in the region, Aspides, also advised merchant ships linked to Israeli, US or Saudi interests to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level falls. That warning follows a pattern already seen in the area since the war in Gaza, when the Houthis began attacking merchant ships and caused major disruption. Those attacks led to ships being sunk, one vessel being seized, and nine crew members killed. The latest Red Sea tankers scare shows how quickly a regional threat can ripple into shipping costs, energy prices, and the bills American consumers ultimately pay.