China secured safe passage for tankers carrying Saudi oil in the Red Sea by holding direct talks with the Iran-backed Houthi movement. Reuters reports, citing six sources, that the contacts allowed tankers to transit the Bab el Mandeb Strait without being attacked.
The Houthis escalated regional tensions on July 20 by declaring a blockade on Saudi ports, heightening threats to energy shipments. The move fueled international concerns over the security of Middle Eastern energy transit routes.
Beijing plans to continue exports from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea terminal of Yanbu to plug the oil supply gap created by Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As part of this strategy, China became one of the first countries to directly approach the Houthis over passage through the Bab el Mandeb.
Each tanker secured separate Houthi approval
Kpler analysis along with LSEG and MarineTraffic vessel tracking data show that since the Houthis announced their restrictions, at least four tankers have loaded crude from Saudi ports and sailed through the Bab el Mandeb bound for China.
One source said Chinese officials obtained individual approval from the Houthis for each vessel, and both sides informed Tehran about these actions. Two regional officials also confirmed that China and the Houthis kept Iran in the loop.
Security concerns alter shipping routes
Due to security concerns, some tankers abandoned plans to transit the Bab el Mandeb. According to Lloyd's List Intelligence and MarineTraffic data, two supertankers, the New Champion and the New Prime, turned back from the Gulf of Aden to the open sea.
The data indicated that the New Champion had come to load oil from Yanbu, while the New Prime was already laden with oil.
Houthis target Saudi tankers
The Houthis last week claimed they carried out missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla. Maritime security sources confirmed the attack on the Encelia, while Reuters was unable to independently verify the claimed attack on the Layla.
The sea voyage from Yanbu south through the Bab el Mandeb to Asia takes an average of 16 days. If vessels head north to the Suez Canal and go around Africa, the journey extends to 50 days.
Two sources close to the Houthis said the movement maintains good relations with China, and there has been close coordination in the past, particularly on oil shipments from Saudi Arabia to China.
