Saudi crude tanker transits Bab el-Mandeb with transponder off as Houthis announce blockade

Published Jul 24, 11:30 AM UTC

At least one oil tanker carrying Saudi crude oil, the Merbabu, transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with its transponder switched off as Houthi threats escalated. The Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipments and targeted vessels offshore Yemen, spiking risks in the Red Sea. The Merbabu, owned by a Greek company, used 'dark mode' to avoid detection, a tactic previously used in the Strait of Hormuz. It emerged in the Arabian Sea on Thursday with its AIS signal on, after broadcasting a message stating 'NO LINK ISRAEL UK US' three days earlier. Despite the blockade, traffic at Bab el-Mandeb has not collapsed, and China-bound tankers continue to transit. Maritime intelligence firm Windward noted that enforcement is calibrated to crew and ownership, not cargo, allowing Saudi crude to keep moving as long as the vessel is outside the target set.