Chinese tankers loaded with Saudi crude head toward the Red Sea
According to Reuters (Japanese edition), as of July 23: Shipping data shows two Chinese VLCCs carrying a total of 4 million barrels of Saudi crude are en route to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and will depart the Red Sea on the 23rd.
On the same day, a Saudi vessel was attacked in the same waters. The attacked Saudi ship's attempt to pass through the strait failed. On the 20th, Yemeni pro-Iranian Houthi forces announced they had imposed a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.
On the 23rd, the Houthis announced they used drones and missiles to attack two Saudi oil tankers. The Houthi blockade threat in the Red Sea is further disrupting global energy supplies, while the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed due to ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions.
According to LSEG shipping data, the Singapore-registered VLCC "Xinlongyang" (translated name) turned around on the 21st and stopped near the center of the Red Sea, but resumed sailing southward during the night of the 22nd. The vessel sailed along the coast of Yemen toward Qinzhou Port in southern China. The VLCC "Costnew Lake," flying the Chinese flag, is following suit, with plans to discharge cargo at Huizhou Port in Guangdong Province, southern China.
Both vessels are equipped with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), indicating they carry Chinese crew members. These two tankers were both leased by subsidiaries of China's Sinopec, Asia's largest oil company, which loaded crude oil at Yanbu Port in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
China COSCO Shipping and Sinopec, which manage the two tankers, declined to comment on the matter.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871494754675728/
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