Can the Suez save Asian oil consumers after Houthis shut Bab al-Mandeb?
Houthi blockades in the Bab al-Mandeb strait are forcing Saudi oil tankers to consider longer, more expensive routes around Africa to reach Asian markets. This disruption threatens to increase global oil prices and highlights the vulnerability of energy supply chains in the region.
Why it matters
The potential for prolonged shipping delays and increased costs poses a significant risk to global energy security and Asian economic stability.
About 6 million barrels of crude per day that pass through the strait to Asia are now at risk, experts say.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea [File: Sayed Hassan/Getty Images] By Caolán Magee Published On 22 Jul 2026 22 Jul 2026 Two tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia have reversed course in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports, raising fears that disruptions to another of the world’s most important shipping routes could further restrict global oil supplies.
The vessels, the Rodos and Xin Long Yang, were carrying a combined 2.8 million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia’s western port of Yanbu when they turned north after initially sailing towards Bab al-Mandeb, the strait that separates Yemen from the Horn of Africa, according to the shipping analytics firm Kpler.
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