The vessels were carrying Saudi crude to China and India when they turned back to the Suez Canal

Two tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India reversed course in the Red Sea after the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) warned shipping companies against loading or unloading cargo at Saudi ports.

The Xin Long Yang, loaded with 2 million barrels of crude at Yanbu, and the Rodos, carrying roughly 700,000 barrels, turned back toward the Suez Canal instead of continuing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen. A third tanker bound for Yanbu from outside Bab al-Mandab was also forced to reverse course off the coast of Oman.

The warning could force cargoes bound for Asia onto far longer routes through the Mediterranean and around Africa, adding weeks to delivery times.

This comes after Ansarallah circulated an email instructing shipping firms to stop loading and discharging cargo at Saudi ports, warning that non-compliant vessels could be struck anywhere Yemen’s forces can reach.

According to Reuters, the message was sent by the Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) and stated, “Vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi ports,” warning that violations would draw sanctions and direct military action.

The YAF urged that “We strongly recommend that your company exercise due diligence and the utmost care in all its dealings,” noting that offending vessels “may be subject to targeting in any location within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces.”

The YAF announced on 20 July a full ban on all Saudi shipping, describing it as a “ban on maritime navigation” that took effect immediately upon the statement’s issuance.

The Yemeni forces also asserted Yemen’s right to “respond to the blockade with a blockade, to escalate comprehensively in response to comprehensive escalation, and to firmly establish this equation.”

The YAF declared itself ready for “all options” and warned that any major Saudi escalation would be met with an equal response.

Saudi Arabia launched its war on Yemen in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition, backed by the UK, US, and Israel, after Ansarallah seized Sanaa and ousted the Saudi-backed president.

The kingdom has since maintained an illegal blockade of Yemeni ports and airports, with Sanaa International Airport under severe restrictions for more than a decade, while the war produced mass famine and hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Arab world’s poorest country.

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Via https://thecradle.co/articles/saudi-tankers-turn-tail-in-red-sea-amid-yemeni-blockade