• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
A Hong Kong-flagged supertanker bound for Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu has U-turned just before reaching the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, where recent attacks were launched by the Houthis as part of a blockade on ships linked to the kingdom.
The empty very large crude carrier New Champion made a dramatic about-turn in the Gulf of Aden Friday, after idling there during its voyage toward the Red Sea, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel had been chartered by a Chinese buyer to pick up a cargo of crude from Yanbu, shipping fixtures show. It's now heading eastward at a near top speed of around 16 knots.
It's not clear what exactly prompted New Champion's U-turn. Some providers of shipping insurance have in recent days been unwilling to offer coverage for any vessels calling at Saudi Arabia due to the risk of attacks, according to ship and insurance brokers.
New Champion's pivot exposes the widening economic fallout of the Houthi naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, and points to increased hurdles for Chinese buyers to receive Saudi crude. While Western vessels have stayed cautious about entering the Red Sea to pick up or deliver cargoes to and from Saudi, China-bound ships had continued to receive crude barrels from Yanbu at the rate of around 520,000 barrels per day this year, Kpler data show. Those flows surged during the Iran war, as Saudi diverted Persian Gulf crude exports to Yanbu in order to avoid Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The supertanker appears to be the first Chinese tanker that has changed course in and around the Red Sea, possibly in response to the heightened risk in the region. Earlier this week, two Chinese-owned supertanker safely exited Bab el-Mandeb carrying Saudi cargoes with their transponders turned on, making them the first tankers with Saudi crude to leave the Red Sea unimpeded since the Houthis announced their blockade.
Behind them in the Red Sea, New Explorer is nearing the chokepoint, fully laden with Saudi crude, while New Pearl that is loaded up with the commodity had just sailed out from Yanbu early Saturday.
Some Western-linked ships and others operated by cautious owners, meanwhile, have been opting to avoid the southern exit out of the Red Sea, preferring to take the safer but much costlier option of sailing both through the Suez Canal and around the African continent to reach Asian buyers.
The Japan-bound supertanker carrying cooking fuel, Gas King, exited the Red Sea via the canal on Friday, making it one of the first to load and leave the waters with a Saudi cargo since the Houthis announced their embargo. The ship, which previously estimated that it would reach Japan in early August, now has an updated arrival date for late September, data show.
Other tankers with Western links have sailed through Bab el Mandeb, or approached Yanbu without their transponders on, likely in order to avoid their crew and the vessel from being tracked by the Houthis.
New Champion, New Explorer and New Pearl are managed by Associated Maritime Co (H.K.) Ltd as listed on database Equasis. The Hong Kong-based company didn't respond to an emailed request for comment sent outside of regular business hours.
This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.
