Houthis strike fourth Saudi-linked tanker since declaring blockade
The group targeted the chemical and products tanker NCC Ghazal with ballistic missiles, keeping pressure on the Red Sea despite a partial traffic recovery.
Yemen's Houthis targeted a fourth Saudi-linked tanker on Tuesday since declaring a blockade of the kingdom's ports, keeping up pressure on the Red Sea oil route even as traffic through Bab el-Mandeb has shown signs of partial recovery. The group said it fired ballistic missiles at the chemical and products tanker NCC Ghazal, a vessel of just under 50,000 deadweight tonnes, after the ship ignored warnings.
The strike extends a campaign specifically aimed at vessels linked to Saudi Arabia, distinguishing it from the broader pattern of Houthi attacks on shipping tied to other nations earlier in the conflict. Targeting a defined set of Saudi-linked tankers suggests a more focused strategy than the wider, less discriminate disruption seen during earlier phases of Red Sea hostilities.
Bab el-Mandeb, the narrow strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, has seen a partial rebound in commercial traffic in recent months as some owners cautiously resumed transits after a period of steep decline driven by Houthi attacks. Continued strikes against specific tanker types risk undermining that recovery, particularly for the chemical and products tanker segment now directly in the group's sights.
Vessels ignoring Houthi warnings before an attack has been a recurring feature of the campaign, raising questions about how effectively warnings are communicated and understood by ships transiting the region under commercial pressure to maintain schedules. Owners and charterers continue to weigh the security risk against the cost and delay of rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope.
With a fourth Saudi-linked tanker now struck, the blockade shows no sign of easing, and shipping companies with Saudi-linked cargo or ownership ties are likely to face continued scrutiny over their exposure to the Red Sea route. The incident adds to an already long list of attacks testing the durability of the recent partial traffic recovery through Bab el-Mandeb.
