Saudi oil tanker LAYLA's AIS signal absent for nearly six days

A Saudi oil tanker has not transmitted an Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal for five days and 20 hours, according to a maritime tracking channel. The vessel's status remains unverified.

The Saudi oil tanker LAYLA has not transmitted an Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal for five days and 20 hours, according to the maritime tracking a monitored channel. The prolonged silence emerged as the Houthi movement named LAYLA earlier tonight as one of two tankers it claimed to have struck in the Red Sea — a claim that remains unverified.

The Houthi claims, first reported by The Zioneer at 00:15 Jerusalem, evolved over multiple statements: initial reports of an attack on two oil tankers were followed by the naming of LAYLA and ENCELA, and later a threat of further operations inside Saudi Arabia. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately warned that a tanker off Saudi Arabia had been hit by a projectile and was on fire, though the vessel's identity was not confirmed. A technical analysis of ENCELA's movement, reported by The Zioneer at 00:56 Jerusalem, showed deceleration consistent with a strike.

LAYLA's AIS silence adds a complicating factor. The outage — spanning nearly six days — predates the Houthi claim by several days, raising the possibility that the transponder was disabled before any alleged attack, or that the vessel was already in distress. The Zioneer has previously reported on Houthi strikes on Saudi oil tankers and the broader maritime security situation in the region, including earlier incidents involving fires and projectile hits.

What remains open: The Houthi claims have not been independently verified. The status of LAYLA and its crew, and the cause of the AIS silence, remain unknown. It is not yet clear whether the Houthi claim of striking LAYLA is related to the extended AIS outage.

11 developments

1. 2 hours ago · 00:58 · 23 JulLatest

   Tanker LAYLA has not transmitted AIS signals for nearly six days.

2. 00:56 · 23 Jul

   Technical analysis shows tanker deceleration consistent with a strike.

3. 00:55 · 23 Jul

   Houthis named targeted tankers ENCELA and LAYLA, threatened operations inside Saudi Arabia.

• Developing20:16 · 10 JunUS aerial tankers switch transponders back on above Saudi Arabia
• Developing17:42 · 13 JunSanction-busting oil tanker evades US Navy blockade by disabling AIS off Iran
• Strong14:49 · 1 JulOil tanker reports small boat approaching in Gulf of Aden; no damage or injuries
• Strong1 hour ago · 01:50 · 23 JulFootage shows Saudi oil tanker engulfed in flames after reported Houthi missile strike near Yemen

Source and signal

• Internal intake