By Aaron Hammond 
So, things are getting a bit messy in the Red Sea right now. The Bab el-Mandeb strait, a crucial point for global shipping, is seeing a major drop in traffic. It is all because of recent attacks by Houthi rebels, who declared a maritime ban against Saudi Arabia on July 20th. This has shipping companies on edge, and many are choosing to avoid the area altogether.
The numbers really show the impact. According to Kpler data, only 18 commodity vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, down from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday. Some tankers are so nervous they are actually turning off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) just to sneak through. Over the weekend, two big tankers carrying Saudi crude, the Lesvos and the Desh Vaibhav, exited the Red Sea running completely dark to avoid detection.
But here is where it gets really interesting: some ships are just giving up on the route entirely. One Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian cargo actually did a U-turn and is now sailing all the way around Africa to avoid the Red Sea. Bloomberg also reported that at least six Saudi oil tankers are taking this massive detour. That’s a huge addition to their travel time and costs.
This disruption isn’t just about longer trips; it’s messing with the global oil flow. With the Strait of Hormuz already tense due to the Iran situation, Saudi Arabia had been relying heavily on its Red Sea port of Yanbu. Now, with the Houthis targeting those waters, things are getting complicated. Some satellite images show tankers still loading at Yanbu, but many are going completely dark as soon as they set sail. It’s a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek out there right now, and the longer route around Africa might just become the new normal if things don’t calm down.
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