Lloyd’s List: Saudi oil navigation in the Red Sea is fading away

International reports and recent satellite images have revealed a near-total paralysis that has struck Saudi oil navigation in the Red Sea, indicating the field effectiveness and direct impact of the strikes and naval blockade imposed by the Armed Forces in Sana’a on Riyadh’s facilities and tankers.

Exclusive Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

“Lloyd’s List,” a magazine specialized in maritime affairs and international navigation, reported that the movement of Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea “has almost completely disappeared, with no crude oil tankers recorded crossing since July 23.”

The maritime magazine stated that at least 11 oil tankers have stopped broadcasting their tracking signals off Yanbu port, following the official announcement of the Yemeni naval blockade, affirming that the disruption of the Saudi export route through the Red Sea threatens to impose longer and more costly alternative routes on the Saudi energy sector.

In the same context, recent images captured by the satellite company “Sentinel-2” showed smoke rising and visible damage at the Aramco oil processing facility in Buqayq in eastern Saudi Arabia.

These field developments and economic shocks come as the “decisive fruits” of the decision announced by the Armed Forces in Sana’a on July 20, represented by imposing a comprehensive naval blockade on Saudi Arabia according to the “siege-for-siege” equation, aimed at pressuring Riyadh to stop its siege that has been ongoing since March 2015 on Yemeni ports and airports.

Sana’a forces had announced the targeting of “a number of sensitive targets and points for the supply and transport of crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu with a number of drones,” in response to Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace.

The data from maritime magazines and surveillance satellites indicate the great operational success of the Yemeni blockade and strikes in the Saudi depth. The rapid disappearance of tankers and the cessation of tracking signal transmission reflect the scale of fear and confusion in the management of Saudi oil fleets and the limited maritime insurance options in the face of serious threats from Sana’a.

The shift to longer and more costly routes indicates the daily heavy losses being inflicted on the Saudi economy and portends more catastrophic repercussions on global energy supplies.

Riyadh today faces two choices with no third option: either end the siege on Yemeni ports and airports or endure even more violent and painful strikes that Sana’a warns it will direct at vital infrastructure and facilities in the Saudi depth if intransigence and the siege continue, as indicated by statements from various leadership levels in Sana’a.