Tankers Turn Back in the Red Sea... Concerns Grow Over Oil Transport

[Anchor]

Following the Iran-backed Houthi rebels' declaration of a blockade in the Red Sea, a growing number of oil tankers are finding themselves unable to leave the region. Detouring via the Suez Canal is also proving difficult, putting crude oil transportation on high alert.

Reporter Kim Minpyo has the details.


[Reporter]

An oil tanker loaded with crude at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port changes direction toward the Suez Canal while heading south in the Red Sea.

Its destination is India, but it has chosen an extreme detour route rounding the entire African continent.

Foreign media reported that six vessels turned back on the 21st local time alone.

This is because Yemen's pro-Iran Houthi rebels issued a specific warning to shipping companies prohibiting the use of all Saudi ports and stating that violators could become targets.

Analysis suggests that if shipping lanes connecting the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Arabian Sea are blocked in this manner, approximately 25% of global crude oil supply will be affected.

More than half of the crude oil shipped from Yanbu Port heads to Asia, and choosing a detour route via the Suez Canal extends transport time by up to a month.

It is not just the distance that increases.

When very large crude carriers (VLCCs) are fully loaded with oil, it is difficult for them to pass through the shallow Suez Canal.

Some of the crude must be unloaded on the Red Sea side to be sent to the Mediterranean via an Egyptian pipeline, after which the tanker passes through the canal and reloads the oil in the Mediterranean.

South Korean refinery Hyundai Oilbank is also reviewing plans to import crude oil through this method.

[Donald Trump / US President : There has been no Red Sea blockade so far. There is a possibility of a blockade, but we are handling the matter well. If something like that happens, we will handle it all.]

While US President Trump hinted at a military response and stepped in to manage the situation, international oil prices rose by more than 2% as the Red Sea joined the Strait of Hormuz as a danger zone.

(Video Editing: Kim Jin-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.