SINGAPORE, July 23 (Reuters) – Two Chinese supertankers, carrying a total of 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil, are making their way out of the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, according to shipping data. This comes as a Saudi vessel was attacked in the area.
The passage of these ships will test how strictly the Houthis enforce the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia that they announced on Monday. Earlier on Thursday, the group claimed to have attacked two Saudi tankers using drones and missiles.
The Houthis' blockade in the Red Sea, aligned with Iran, may further impact global energy supplies, especially as the key Strait of Hormuz has seen reduced activity due to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
The Singapore-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang, which turned around and paused in the middle of the Red Sea on Tuesday, resumed its journey south late on Wednesday, according to shipping data from LSEG.
The vessel is now sailing near the Yemeni coast, heading to the port of Qinzhou in southern China. Following it is the Chinese-flagged VLCC Cosnew Lake, which plans to unload its cargo at the port of Huizhou in Guangdong province, as per the shipping data.
Both vessels indicated through their automatic identification system that they have Chinese crew members aboard. They are chartered by Unipec, the trading division of Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner, and loaded oil at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port earlier this week.
Cosco Shipping, which manages both tankers, and Sinopec have not responded to requests for comment.
At least two other VLCCs, also chartered by Unipec and scheduled to load Saudi crude at Yanbu later this month, slowed their approach to the Bab el-Mandeb and began circling in the Gulf of Aden, according to data from LSEG.
Earlier on Thursday, the Houthis reported a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers they accused of violating the blockade. The Saudi news agency SPA stated that the Saudi vessel Encelia was attacked in the Red Sea and was on fire, although the crew is reported safe.
Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb has decreased, and movement through the Strait of Hormuz remained quiet on Wednesday, as shown by LSEG and Kpler data.
On Wednesday, 27 vessels crossed the Bab el-Mandeb strait, including five oil tankers and one liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, down from 38 the day before. Additionally, one VLCC exited Bab el-Mandeb with its transponder turned off on Wednesday.
On Thursday, two VLCCs emerged from the Strait of Hormuz. The New Giant, carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, is headed for Rizhao in eastern China, while the Rotterdam Energy, loaded with 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude from the UAE, is currently off Fujairah, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.
On Wednesday, only three commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, down from four the previous day and 18 the same day a week prior, as reported by Kpler.
Two vessels approached the strait from the Gulf of Oman, including a tanker carrying dirty petroleum products that passed through Iranian waters and a dry bulk carrier operating in dark mode, with its tracking signal off, according to Kpler data.
As of July 20, there were 253 loaded tankers in the Gulf, comprising 102 oil tankers, 64 liquefied natural gas carriers, and 66 liquefied petroleum gas carriers, based on data from LSEG.
Chinese supertankers are heading for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.