By Weilun Soon
August 22, 2026 - Shipowners, including Sinokor Group, are assisting in the transportation of Saudi Arabian crude oil through a safer northern route as Iran-backed militants continue to target the kingdom’s exports at the Bab el Mandeb chokepoint in the south.
Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, has increased oil exports from Mediterranean ports like Sidi Kerir after attacks by Yemen-based Houthis on vessels loading at the Red Sea terminal in Yanbu. Recently, tankers from South Korea’s Sinokor, Greece’s Dynacom, and Norway’s DHT Management AS have been transporting oil from Yanbu to Ain Sukhna, where it is unloaded and sent north via pipeline.
Sinokor, Dynacom, and DHT Management did not respond to requests for comments.
These shuttle tankers, along with Saudi-controlled and other commercial vessels making one-way trips out of the Red Sea to the north, have helped OPEC maintain oil flows and keep global markets supplied. This strategy mirrors the United Arab Emirates' approach to moving oil out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Tanker operators willing to take on higher risks have begun facilitating shuttle movements between Yanbu and Ain Sukhna, allowing crude supplies to reach Saudi Aramco's customers directly at Sidi Kerir instead of Yanbu,” explained Xavier Tang, a senior market analyst at Vortexa.
Since the Houthis announced their blockade on July 20, Saudi crude exports via the northern Red Sea have risen by about one-third to approximately 1.1 million barrels per day, according to Kpler data. At least four tankers have made the Yanbu to Ain Sukhna trip multiple times, transferring around 16.3 million barrels in total, as per Bloomberg's ship-tracking data.
However, routing Saudi crude through the Mediterranean means that tankers must sail around southern Africa to reach their main customers in Asia, extending the travel time by weeks.
Yanbu is crucial for Saudi Arabia's attempts to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, with the kingdom quickly diverting barrels from the Persian Gulf through the East-West pipeline to maintain oil supplies at the beginning of the conflict. Nevertheless, some shipowners and charterers are still willing to take the risk of navigating through the Bab el Mandeb Strait near Yemen.