Ship-tracking records reveal that a half-dozen Saudi-operated vessels have altered their courses to sail around the African continent, adding a minimum of two weeks to their voyages to circumvent a Houthi-imposed blockade in the Red Sea, CNN reported on Monday.
The rerouting follows a warning issued last month by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, declaring they would attack any Saudi maritime traffic attempting to pass through the Bab al Mandeb strait - the strategic chokepoint at the Red Sea's southern entrance.
According to vessel-monitoring data from MarineTraffic, the ships navigated away from the Gulf of Aden near Oman's coastline and steered south along East Africa. Multiple vessels have listed South African ports as their destination, while one lists Gibraltar as its next stop.
All six tankers are listed as traveling “in ballast", indicating they are unladen with crude oil. A number of these vessels were apparently making return trips to Saudi Red Sea ports from Asian destinations prior to changing course.
Included in the cluster is a Saudi bulk carrier currently transiting between the Seychelles and the Kenyan coast.
Opting for the extended circuit around Africa and accessing Saudi Red Sea harbors via the Suez Canal typically lengthens travel times by approximately 15 days.
The Houthis instituted the maritime blockade as a retaliatory measure against Saudi interventions aimed at restricting air travel and commercial traffic into Houthi-administered regions of Yemen.
After the Houthis announced the blockade, Saudi Arabia pledged to deploy all lawful measures under international law to safeguard its shipping.
The back-and-forth followed an incident in which at least 50 Houthi rebels were killed and dozens more wounded during intense clashes with Yemeni government forces south of Hodeidah province in western Yemen.
Later, the Houthis claimed that Saudi forces carried out airstrikes against Sanaa International Airport. Yemen's internationally recognized government claimed responsibility for the strike, stating it acted to intercept an incoming Iranian plane. In response, Houthi forces fired missiles toward southwestern Saudi Arabia near Abha Airport.