UK-based Windward ship-tracking data on the 3rd show six Saudi tankers are
sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, avoiding the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea to
mitigate security risks from Yemen’s Houthi militants to Saudi-linked vessels.
Windward said the Cape route adds roughly 6–7 days for some US-bound tankers
versus direct transit through the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb. All six vessels
chose to reroute on ballast legs, which Windward says may reflect a Saudi
operational policy to keep its ships out of the area rather than a temporary,
cargo-specific measure.
