Saudi crude routing has split across the Red Sea security picture, with some tankers turning away from Aden while others crossed Bab el-Mandeb dark.
1. Saudi VLCCs Turn From Aden as Red Sea Routing Splits
• Six Saudi-flagged supertankers changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days and headed toward southern Africa after Houthi threats against Saudi shipping.
• The vessels were reported empty after returning from Asia, making the signal a ballast-routing and fleet-repositioning decision rather than a loaded-cargo loss.
• The diversion points to a widening operational split between vessels attempting Bab el-Mandeb passage and tonnage avoiding the southern Red Sea entirely.
• The route change creates immediate exposure for bunker planning, laycan control, insurance approval, deviation accounting and next-employment positioning.
2. AIS-Dark Saudi Cargoes Still Cross Bab el-Mandeb
• Reuters reported that the Suezmax Lesvos, carrying about 1 million barrels of Saudi crude, and the VLCC Desh Vaibhav, carrying about 2 million barrels, exited the Red Sea over the weekend.
• Both vessels were reported to have transited with AIS switched off.
• Desh Vaibhav was reported bound for Sikka, India, while Lesvos had no clear destination in the available reporting.
• Bab el-Mandeb commodity-vessel traffic fell from 28 vessels on Friday to 18 on Sunday, confirming reduced flow through the chokepoint.
• A Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian naphtha also rerouted around Africa rather than using the Red Sea passage.
3. Yanbu Loading and Market Pressure Keep Red Sea Crude Moving
• Five VLCCs were visible at Yanbu’s oil-loading terminals on Saturday satellite imagery, making it potentially the port’s busiest day since Houthi threats escalated.
• Yanbu activity shows Saudi Red Sea exports have not stopped, but cargo movement is now being managed through selective loading, dark transit and diversion choices.
• Clarksons reported record first-half earnings and linked exceptional trading conditions partly to disruption from the Strait of Hormuz crisis and wider shipping dislocation.
• Chartering desks should now treat Red Sea exposure as a vessel-specific risk calculation, not a blanket open-or-closed route assumption.
4. Hormuz Corridor Talks
• Iran said it is negotiating with Oman over a temporary Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor.
• Iranian reporting described the proposed arrangement as a single two-way route rather than multiple separate lanes.
• Tehran also said the talks alone are not enough to reopen the Strait, keeping vessel-entry decisions dependent on political, security and operational clearance.
• GasLog Shanghai remains the latest DeepDraft-reported Hormuz damage signal, while the corridor talks now add a separate route-design and authorization issue for Gulf voyages.
5. Black Sea Feeder Suspension Extends Route Disruption Beyond the Gulf
• Hapag-Lloyd has temporarily suspended feeder connections to Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi because of the deteriorating security situation in the Odesa region.
• The carrier said feeder operators have stopped vessel calls to those Ukrainian Black Sea ports until further notice.
• Cargo planned for those destinations may require alternative discharge, subject to operational feasibility and safety-security assessments.
• Reni is being considered as an alternative discharge option, shifting exposure toward inland routing, documentation, delivery windows and customer-notification obligations.
Strategic Summary & Actions Required
• Masters and CSO teams entering the southern Red Sea should treat Saudi link, cargo origin, charterer exposure, AIS posture and routing instruction as direct targeting-risk factors.
• Ship managers should refresh Red Sea security authorizations before entry, including AIS policy, emergency communications, citadel readiness, fire response and bridge-watch reinforcement.
• Charterers and operators should price Cape diversion, Bab el-Mandeb delay, off-hire exposure, deviation clauses, bunker consumption and war-risk premium into Saudi-linked fixtures.
• Gulf voyage desks should keep Hormuz corridor planning separate from Red Sea routing, because Tehran-Muscat talks do not yet equal an opened or normalized Strait.
• Liner and forwarding teams with Ukraine cargo should confirm whether Chornomorsk, Odesa or Pivdennyi bookings are accepted, suspended, rerouted or moved to alternative discharge.
Operational Status
CRITICAL RED — Red Sea Saudi Tanker Routing Split / AIS-Dark Bab el-Mandeb Transits / Cape Diversion Exposure / Parallel Hormuz Corridor Uncertainty
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Sources
Reuters, Hapag-Lloyd, IRNA, gCaptain, The DeepDraft
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
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