Chinese Supertankers Test Houthi Red Sea Blockade as Regional Shipping Routes Face Dual Chokepoint Pressures

Two Chinese very large crude carriers loaded with Saudi oil have pressed ahead through the southern Red Sea toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait this week, testing the limits of a newly declared Houthi naval blockade against Saudi Arabia even as the Iran-aligned militia claimed successful attacks on other tankers and shipping traffic through both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply constrained.

The Singapore-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang and the Chinese-flagged Cosnew Lake, together carrying roughly four million barrels of crude loaded at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu terminal, were tracked moving south after the Xin Long Yang initially paused and executed a U-turn in the central Red Sea before resuming its voyage. Both vessels are managed by Cosco Shipping interests and chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of China’s Sinopec. Their destinations are Chinese ports, including Qinzhou and Huizhou. At least two additional Unipec-chartered VLCCs scheduled to load at Yanbu later this month have slowed and begun circling in the Gulf of Aden rather than proceeding into the Red Sea.

The Houthi movement, which controls much of northern Yemen and the approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb, announced a naval blockade on Saudi ports earlier this week and warned shipping companies that vessels loading or discharging at Saudi facilities risked being targeted “in any location.” The group later claimed to have struck two Saudi tankers with drones and missiles. Saudi officials confirmed that the vessel Encelia was hit and set on fire in the Red Sea, though the crew was reported safe.

These developments have further tightened an already stressed maritime environment. Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb has declined noticeably, with daily vessel crossings falling in recent days as operators weigh the risk of attack against the high cost of longer alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope. Some tankers carrying Saudi crude have reversed course and headed north toward the Suez Canal rather than exit the Red Sea southward. War-risk insurance premiums for Saudi-related voyages have risen accordingly.

At the same time, conditions in the Strait of Hormuz remain far below normal. The waterway, through which a significant share of global oil exports typically flows, has seen only a handful of commodity vessels transit on recent days amid ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions and intermittent strikes. A large backlog of laden tankers continues to wait inside the Persian Gulf, and many operators have resorted to dark-mode transits or routes hugging the Iranian or Omani coasts. Combined disruptions at both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb raise the prospect of compounded delays and higher costs for energy shipments that account for a substantial portion of world supply.

Chinese vessels appear to retain a degree of operational flexibility in Houthi-controlled waters compared with other flags, allowing the two Cosco-linked VLCCs to continue their southward progress where others have turned back. Yet the broader pattern remains one of caution. Shipping data show reduced daily traffic volumes, more frequent course reversals, and increased use of circuitous routes that add weeks and millions of dollars to voyage costs.

The dual pressure on the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz underscores the vulnerability of global energy logistics to regional conflict. With Saudi Arabia relying more heavily on its Red Sea export terminals as an alternative to Hormuz, the Houthi blockade has created a second major chokepoint threat. Operators continue to monitor developments closely while Chinese tankers test whether selective passage remains possible under the current threat environment.