Four oil tankers — the Agios Gerasimos, MICA, NAVIG8 EXPRESS, and Trust — reversed course in the Red Sea and began sailing toward the Suez Canal, according to a report from the Abu Saleh Arab Desk. The move follows the Houthi movement's declaration of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Four oil tankers — the Agios Gerasimos, MICA, NAVIG8 EXPRESS, and Trust — have reversed course in the Red Sea and are now sailing toward the Suez Canal, according to a report from the Abu Saleh Arab Desk. The move follows the Houthi movement's declaration of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, announced yesterday.
As The Zioneer reported yesterday (Monday, 20:32 Jerusalem), two Saudi-crude oil tankers had already turned around in the Red Sea after Houthi threats, according to Reuters. Earlier that evening, at 20:14, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, citing a 'siege for siege' equation. Also at 20:32, the Houthis sent direct email warnings to shipping companies urging them to avoid Saudi ports, and an initial report circulated an audio recording of Houthi forces ordering Saudi vessels to turn back. The corroboration evolved from unverified claims and a single audio source to Reuters-confirmed tanker movements.
The Houthi movement, a key component of the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance, has been escalating its campaign against Red Sea shipping. As The Zioneer reported on June 8, Saree declared a complete ban on Israeli Red Sea shipping and claimed a missile strike on Jaffa. On July 18, Saudi sources claimed Houthis used Somali militants in the hijacking of the chemical tanker Asana. The blockade on Saudi Arabia is the latest phase in this campaign.
It remains unclear whether the tankers' diversions are temporary or permanent. The report identifying the four vessels comes from a single source, the Abu Saleh Arab Desk, and has not been independently verified.
10 developments
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- DevelopingHouthi-affiliated news agency claims six ships turned back in Red Sea after blockade warning
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