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Two Chinese tankers carrying Saudi oil exit Bab el-Mandeb strait

Shipping data from LSEG shows that two Chinese supertankers carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia have successfully exited the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The movements of the two tankers have been closely watched after Yemen’s Houthis announced a blockade on shipments of Saudi oil through the waterway.

The Singapore-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang and the Chinese-flagged VLCC Cosnew Lake both successfully exited the waterway on Thursday, data showed.

Both vessels had indicated through their transmitters that they had Chinese crews on board, and both loaded crude at Saudi Arabia’s port of Yanbu earlier this week, LSEG data revealed.

Swedish foreign minister condemns Houthi Red Sea attacks

Sweden has strongly condemned Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, as well as the group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

“We strongly condemn Houthi threats against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard wrote on X.

“Maritime security and freedom of navigation are fundamental for regional stability and global trade, and must be upheld in line with international law,” she added.

The statement comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and launched drone and missile strikes targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on July 22, setting one on fire. The escalation followed Houthi threats to block commercial traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Houthis exempt Chinese ships from blockade

Shipping data from London Stock Exchange Group shows that two Chinese supertankers carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia successfully exited the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Friday. This is despite the naval blockade Yemen’s Houthis announced against Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Houthi spokesman denies Bab al-Mandeb closure, says naval blockade targets Saudi Arabia only

Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied that it has shut down the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, stating that its naval operations are strictly limited to a targeted blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the group, dismissed claims of a full waterway shutdown in a post on X.

“There is no closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait as some promote,” he wrote.

“The position of Yemen, as announced by the Yemeni armed forces, is limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side, in response to its siege of Yemen and its refusal to accept any fair approach to a solution that guarantees the security, sovereignty and independence of the Yemeni people.”

The Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has launched repeated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since late 2023, which the group has framed as a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Houthi-affiliated TV reports strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah

Al Masirah TV says that Saudi warplanes have carried out strikes on the port city in western Yemen.

Earlier this week, Yemen’s Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.

More on alleged Saudi strikes on Houthi-controlled Yemen

Yemen’s Saba news agency says that Saudi air strikes targeted facilities belonging to the Telecommunications Corporation in the city of Hodeidah.

Saba also reported a strike on Kurran Island, off Yemen’s western coast.

These reports are so far unconfirmed.

Saudi-led coalition forces claim attacks on Houthi-controlled Yemen

In a statement, the Saudi-led Coalition Joint Forces Command says it targeted Houthi sites in Yemen’s Hodeidah, adding that it did not hit the Port of Hodeidah, and that all shipping ports in the governorate remain open.

The command said that all targets bombed were “linked to threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea”.

Houthi Foreign Ministry says attack on Hodeidah a ‘major folly’

The Houthi Foreign Ministry has blamed Saudi Arabia for an attack on facilities belonging to the Telecommunications Corporation in the city of Hodeidah, saying it will lead to “escalation for escalation”, in a statement reported by Al Masirah TV.

“Instead of complying with the legitimate and just demand to lift the blockade on Yemen, the Saudi regime committed a major folly that will cost it dearly,” the ministry statement said.

The ministry also said that another Saudi attack targeted Kamaran Island, “resulting in the injury of a woman”.

The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV also reported that a source in the Ministry of Defence said that Yemeni air defences “forced several Saudi combat formations to leave the airspace”.