China held direct talks with the Iran-backed Houthi movement and secured safe passage for its tankers through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait south of the Red Sea, six sources who spoke to Reuters said.
On July 20, the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports, opening a new front against the United States and its allies in the war with Iran and extending their attacks on tankers carrying energy and other materials beyond the Middle East.
Beijing aims to continue oil exports from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea to offset the oil supply shortfall caused by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. China was among the first countries to directly approach the Houthis over passage through Bab el-Mandeb.
Individual approval obtained for each vessel
At least four tankers have loaded crude oil at Saudi ports since the Houthis announced their restrictions and then passed through Bab el-Mandeb en route to China, according to Kpler analysis and vessel-tracking data from LSEG and MarineTraffic.
One source said Chinese officials obtained individual approval from the Houthis for each vessel and that both sides informed Tehran. Two officials in the region said China and the Houthis had informed Iran about their actions.
Two supertankers changed course
Some tankers turned back from passing through Bab el-Mandeb because of security concerns. Two supertankers, New Champion and New Prime, turned back from the Gulf of Aden toward the open sea, according to data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and MarineTraffic.
New Champion had arrived in the area to load oil at Yanbu, while New Prime was already carrying oil.
Houthis struck two Saudi tankers
The Houthis said last week that they had carried out missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers, Encelia and Layla. Maritime security sources confirmed the attack on Encelia, while Reuters could not independently verify the reported attack on Layla.
The sea journey south from Yanbu to Asia via Bab el-Mandeb takes an average of 16 days. If ships head north toward the Suez Canal and then sail around Africa, the journey takes 50 days.
Two sources close to the Houthis told Reuters that the movement maintains good relations with China and has previously coordinated closely with Beijing, particularly over oil shipments from Saudi Arabia to China.
