More ships change course in Red Sea after Houthi threats, data shows

LONDON - Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on July 22, with two signalling the Suez Canal as their new destination after Yemen’s Houthi militia warned ships to avoid sailing to Saudi Arabian ports, ship-tracking data showed.

The Iran-aligned Houthis on July 20 declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war with Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

“The threat of Houthi hostile actions against Saudi Arabia... has begun to have an overall effect on tanker activity,” ship broker Clarksons said in a note.

“There are reports of several tankers, having loaded in Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port in the Red Sea, that have shifted course towards the Suez Canal rather than sail south towards the Bab el-Mandeb strait, while others are holding their positions waiting for further instruction.”

Higher risk of attacks

Ships with links to Israel, the United States or Saudi Arabia are at a higher risk of being attacked by the Houthis and are advised to avoid voyages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases, the European Union’s Aspides naval force said on July 22 in an advisory seen by Reuters.

Any vessel that recently called at, loaded cargo or discharged cargo at Saudi ports should “reduce its electronic footprint by minimising AIS (ship-tracking) transmissions and limiting any publicly accessible digital information that could facilitate targeting”, the advisory said.

Five tankers changed direction, two of which signalled their destination as open waters in the Red Sea, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship-tracking data and analysis from British maritime risk-management group Vanguard.

A sixth ship – a vehicle carrier called Liu Jiang Kou – appeared to have turned away in the Gulf of Aden on July 22 after signalling the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah as its next destination, shipping data showed. The vessel’s manager, China’s COSCO Shipping group, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The Philoxenia products tanker dropped anchor around the Suez Canal on July 22 with its destination still showing as Yanbu.

The Alexandros tanker also dropped anchor around Suez after previously being listed in shipping fixtures as booked to load at Yanbu.

Greece’s Dynacom Tankers, which manages the Alexandros, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Philoxenia’s Singapore-based manager, Formica Navigation, could not be reached for comment.

In a separate advisory, Greece’s shipping ministry warned its fleet of heightened risks in the Red Sea and called on them to coordinate with the Aspides naval mission.

Three oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea on July 21, heading towards the Suez Canal rather than braving the Yemeni coast. One of these tankers included the Xin Long Yang, managed by COSCO.

Critical alternative to Strait of Hormuz

A closure of the Red Sea’s southern gateway would remove a critical alternative to the Strait of Hormuz for Saudi Arabia and heighten fears of shortages.

“This (Houthi) embargo raises serious questions about the viability of eastbound routes from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port – the outlet for its east-west pipeline,” ship broker Braemar said in a separate note.

Re-routing cargoes from the Red Sea via Suez to buyers in Asia will mean adding another 10,000 nautical miles on a journey and an extra 34 days of sailing.

This will mean additional estimated freight costs of more than US$5 million (S$6.4 million), excluding fuel or insurance costs.

In addition, transit costs for crossing the Suez Canal would be US$1 million per vessel, Reuters calculations show.

A number of tankers were still visible close to Yanbu’s anchorage on July 22, ship-tracking data showed.

Red Sea traffic has not fully recovered since Houthi attacks off Yemen’s coast began in November 2023 in what the group said was solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The group’s attacks on merchant ships only ended with the Gaza ceasefire in October 2025.

The Houthis told shipping companies not to load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports or they may be targeted.

Maritime security sources, meanwhile, said they had received recordings of separate Houthi warnings to ships in the Red Sea since July 20.

“They warn all vessels intending to proceed to Saudi ports that they will be open targets,” said one shipping source who receives updates from a ship in the Red Sea. REUTERS