Chinese tanker passes Red Sea choke point despite Houthi blockade

The Houthi militia in Yemen appears to be allowing some ships to pass through the Bab al-Mandab strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, despite its blockade of shipping to Saudi Arabia, experts said on Thursday.

A Chinese oil tanker, Cosco Shipping’s VLCC Xin Long Yang, has been granted permission to pass through the waterway, according to the trade publication Lloyd’s List.

It said Chinese tankers returning from the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea may be able to negotiate passage with the Iranian-backed Houthis on a case-by-case basis.

The US think tank Institute for the Study of War has so far counted seven ships that altered their course to avoid passing through the Bab al-Mandab following the Houthi threats.

The militia declared a “blockade” on maritime traffic to and from Saudi Arabia on Monday, around a week after a new confrontation with neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has been at war with the militia for more than a decade.

Late on Wednesday, the Saudi oil tanker Encelia was attacked, causing a fire to break out on board.