Bab el-Mandeb: Saudi crude loadings cut roughly in half after Houthi attacks on Saudi-linked shipping — but the corridor stays open

Saudi crude exports through Bab el-Mandeb remain ongoing despite a marked decline in transit volumes following Houthi attacks.

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In the weeks before the Houthi attacks on the Saudi-linked tankers ENCELIA and LAYLA on 22 July, weekly crude transit volumes through Bab el-Mandeb from crude loaded at West Coast Saudi Arabia averaged around 3 million barrels a day, reflecting the steady cadence of Yanbu-loaded vessels moving south toward Asia. The strikes marked an escalation of the Houthi campaign explicitly targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea.

Since 22 July and as of time of writing, confirmed crossings of Saudi-loaded crude from Yanbu have dropped to 6 vessels, together moving roughly 1.5 million barrels a day averaged across the six days since the attacks — a decline of close to 50% from the pre-attack weekly average. The drop is real and immediate, but it isn't a shutdown: Saudi-loaded cargoes are still transiting the strait, just at roughly half the throughput seen before the strikes.

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Vessel crossings have continued since the attacks, with no confirmed suspension of Saudi crude loadings through the strait. Continued tracking will show whether this reduced level of activity persists, declines further, or returns toward pre-attack volumes in the coming days.

West Coast Saudi Arabia weekly crude oil transits via Bab El Mandeb

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