The Xin Long Yang and Cosnew Lake completed the passage on Thursday after sailing south along Yemen’s coast. Their movement provided an important test of whether Saudi Arabia can continue using its Red Sea export route while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
Both very large crude carriers loaded about two million barrels each at Yanbu Industrial Port on Saudi Arabia’s western coast. The Singapore-flagged Xin Long Yang is heading towards Qinzhou in China’s Guangxi region, while the Hong Kong-flagged Cosnew Lake is sailing towards Huizhou in Guangdong.
The two vessels are managed by units linked to state-owned shipping group Cosco. Shipping data showed that their automatic identification system messages highlighted their Chinese ownership and crew, a step interpreted as an attempt to reduce the likelihood of being targeted while passing through waters controlled by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
Xin Long Yang had initially reversed course and paused in the central Red Sea after the Houthis threatened to prevent ships from using Saudi ports. It resumed its southbound journey late on Wednesday. Cosnew Lake followed the same route and cleared the narrow passage later on Thursday.
The successful crossings came despite attacks on Saudi-linked vessels and warnings that the Houthis would enforce restrictions on maritime traffic connected to the kingdom. The group has widened its campaign as the conflict involving Iran, the United States and regional allies places pressure on two of the world’s most important energy corridors.
One tanker, Encelia, caught fire after being struck in the Red Sea, although its crew escaped injury. Other ships carrying Saudi crude towards China and India had changed direction earlier in the week, either heading north towards the Suez Canal or pausing while operators assessed security conditions.
The reversals raised concern that Bab el-Mandeb could become a second major obstacle to oil movements, alongside the Strait of Hormuz. Before the escalation, Hormuz handled about 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products each day, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of global consumption.
Tanker crossings through Hormuz have since fallen sharply. Only one oil tanker passed through the strait on Thursday, the lowest daily total in more than two months. The New Giant, carrying about two million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude, was heading towards Rizhao in China.
Traffic through Bab el-Mandeb remained more resilient. Thirty-two tankers crossed the southern entrance to the Red Sea on Thursday, with 18 exiting towards the Gulf of Aden and 14 moving north. Nine were carrying crude, including the two China-linked supertankers.
The contrast underscores the growing importance of Yanbu as Saudi Arabia diverts crude away from terminals in the Gulf. Oil can be transported across the kingdom through the East-West Pipeline before being loaded at the Red Sea port, allowing exports to bypass Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has been shipping about four million barrels a day through Yanbu as it seeks to maintain deliveries to customers in Asia and Europe. Around 2.5 million barrels a day have been moving south through Bab el-Mandeb towards destinations including China and India.
The disruption has pushed up oil prices and tanker costs. Brent crude briefly climbed above $100 a barrel on Thursday as traders assessed the possibility that both maritime chokepoints could face prolonged restrictions. Freight rates and war-risk insurance premiums have also risen as shipowners demand higher payments for entering exposed waters.
A direct voyage from Yanbu to East Asia through Bab el-Mandeb can take about 19 days. Avoiding the strait by sailing north through the Suez Canal and Mediterranean, or travelling around the Cape of Good Hope, can add several weeks and as much as $2.5 million to the cost of a tanker journey.
Fully laden supertankers also face limits when using the Suez Canal because of their deep draught. Operators may need to reduce cargoes, transfer oil to smaller vessels or use Egypt’s SUMED pipeline, lowering efficiency and tightening the available tanker fleet.
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